The Cleveland Browns were very lucky heading into this free agency that their best tackle on the roster, Jack Conklin, was signed through 2027 with the team. However, his contract was one of the largest on their roster, and that made him a prime candidate to either be cut or traded from the team this offseason.
That would've been a huge blow to Cleveland's offensive line, which just gained some depth with the signing of Cornelius Lucas in free agency but has major question marks at the right tackle position - where Conklin plays.
So, the team did what they had to, and restructured Conklin's contract with the team to both save them money against the cap as well as providing the tackle with an earlier out from the team.
Conklin's contract restructured to help Browns' cap situation
Conklin, who reached the deal according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, is a 30 year old veteran who provided some pretty decent snaps for the Browns when he returned from injury during the season. He's definitely a leader on the line, but he could only do so much for the injury-ridden left side of the line as a right tackle.
The new contract, according to Fowler, allows Conklin out of the deal in 2026 instead of the previously agreed upon 2027 season. And, the deal also pays him $10 million with an extra $2 million in incentives. It remains to be seen what those incentives are, exactly, but you could imagine they have to do with his health and availability throughout this contract year.
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The former 8th overall pick by the Tennessee Titans landed with the Browns back in 2020. He finished up 2024 with a PFF grade of 66.2, and an overall pass block grade of 67.9. That was good for 58th out of 141 eligible tackles, so almost right down the middle and slightly better than average. He'll continue to be a key part to their rebuilt O-line this season.
Conklin's $14,000,000 in guaranteed salary and his $17.7 million cap number were pretty daunting to look at when considering his reliability in 2024, and how his age might make him even further unreliable throughout this deal. Now, the team has a bit more breathing room against the cap, which could suggest they're far from done with signings this offseason.
Who they'll use that extra spending money on remains a mystery, although we can take a few guesses.