Browns, Deion Jones agree to terminate 2023 contract
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns recently added Deion Jones but it’s apparent he will be nothing more than a rental as his 2023 contract was terminated on Monday
After their Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Cleveland Browns decided to add Deion Jones to strengthen their linebacker corps. In a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, Jones was added as the Browns only had to send a sixth-round pick to the Dirty Birds, while also taking a seventh-round as well.
Jones was added in large part due to Anthony Walker being out for the season and now it appears he won’t be back in 2023. On Monday, it was reported that Jones and Cleveland mutually agreed to terminate his 2023 contract.
This isn’t exactly shocking news and it’s really good for both sides. Jones was due $13 million in 2023 but none of that was guaranteed. Now, he can hit the open market and try to land a deal with more guaranteed money.
For Cleveland, they get a player motivated to prove 2021 was a fluke as he seeks a new deal. On top of that, they were never paying the $13 million for Jones.
Since Andrew Berry took over as general manager, he’s shown no interest in throwing out huge deals for linebackers. He let Joe Schobert walk, which was proven later to be the right move, and has gone after linebackers such as Walker who don’t break the bank.
Right now, it appears they’re not satisfied with how Jacob Phillips has played in the absence of Walker. Jones will take over once he’s up to speed and then it appears the two sides will go separate ways after 11 games.
Cleveland will then likely see what it would take to bring Walker back for another year, or look to the draft for another replacement. What they surely won’t do, is get into a bidding war for Jones or any other linebacker.
