Fans of the Cleveland Browns have been prepared for a while now. This 2026 offseason was always going to be full of heart-wrenching veteran departures.
The first domino fell on Tuesday afternoon. Per NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, longtime Browns right guard Wyatt Teller is headed to the Houston Texans after agreeing to terms on a two-year deal.
This move wasn’t a major surprise. Wilson reported mutual interest between Teller and the Texans earlier this month, and this is just the first of what will be many official goodbyes in Cleveland during the second wave of free agency. Teller should be joined soon by David Njoku, Jack Conklin, and Joel Bitonio, who’s been contemplating retirement but is currently doing so as an unrestricted free agent.
The bigger surprise lies in the details: Teller will reportedly earn $16 million in base salary over his two-year deal with the Texans, a more than reasonable price to pay for an eight-year veteran.
It's a two-year, $23 million max value for Wyatt Teller with a $16 million base value, per a league source @KPRC2 https://t.co/7viNrtDLdm
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 17, 2026
Browns’ cost-saving move at right guard could now face scrutiny
Teller clearly wanted to finish his career with the Browns. In a farewell Instagram post to fans, he opened with the words: “I wish things were different.”
Cleveland clearly wasn’t interested in extending Teller after he battled a calf injury late in the 2025 season, though. The Browns essentially passed on another contract in Teller’s expected price range of $10 million per season for the much cheaper Teven Jenkins, who re-signed with the team on a one-year deal worth $4 million last week.
The jury is still out on Jenkins, though. The Chicago Bears drafted him No. 39 overall to play left tackle, but they quickly kicked him inside to right guard in 2022, before flipping him to the left side in 2023. Durability issues kept him from locking down a specific role with the team, and he wound up walking as a free agent to Cleveland in 2025 for just a $3.05 million contract. Whether he's the man to fill Teller's post at right guard in 2026 remains a major question mark for the Browns.
Teller, meanwhile, is likely eyeing a move to left guard after Houston signed Ed Ingram to a three-year extension last week. The Texans are on the Browns' 2026 home schedule, so assuming he lands the starting gig that his new contract suggests he will, Teller will have a chance to salute the Dawg Pound faithful at least one more time at Huntington Bank Field.
We’re still awaiting the guaranteed portion of Teller’s contract to be announced. His reported $16 million in base salary over two years, though, feels like a price that could leave Berry and the Browns second-guessing their decision. They essentially chose the bargain bin over a respected veteran who never wanted to leave Cleveland in the first place, and if they're wrong, it will be fair game for Browns fans to react accordingly.