Is Cleveland Browns wide receiver/kicker returner Joshua Cribbs’ offseason of discontent about to be resolved?
Maybe, maybe not.
According to Tony Gross of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cribbs’ agents are about to sit down with Browns team officials.
Per the report, the Cribbs delegation intends to try to talk the Browns into restructuring Cribbs’ six-year, $6.7 million deal that has four remaining seasons and included $2 million in guaranteed money.
The Pro Bowl returner is only due to make $620,000 this season with subsequent base salaries of $635,000, $650,000 and $790,000, according to NFL Players Association records.
It’s unclear if the Browns are inclined toward addressing Cribbs’ situation at this time.
According to previous reports, Cribbs would like to use Chicago Bears all-purpose threat Devin Hester’s four-year, $40 million contract that includes $15 million in guaranteed money as a guidepost for negotiations.
Per the report, Cribbs’ attendance at offseason minicamps was triggered by “assurances” that his contract situation would be sounded out before training camp.
Cribbs’ agent, J.R. Rickert, has previously said that no progress was being made during talks.
Rickert also told the Plain Dealer earlier this offseason that he has phone records to show that Cribbs did talk with Browns owner Randy Lerner after last season.
Cribbs has been steadfast that Lerner informed him that the Browns would honor former Cleveland General Manager Phil Savage’s promise to restructure Cribbs’ existing deal.
That was denied by the Browns in a statement, though, where the team stated that “no one from the current Browns organization, including owner Randy Lerner, has ever made any promises to Josh Cribbs with regard to his contract status.”
This just in… Josh Cribbs is not as good as Devin Hester… Also just in Devin Hester is being paid like a number one reciver and is no longer doing what he does best returning kickoffs. Money well spent.
Maybe he should call Chris Baker and Pete Kendall for advice on negotiating with Mangini.
I love Cribbs, but there is no way he is getting anything near what Hester got. Hester doesn’t even deserve what he got. And to J.Cannon, who said that Cribbs isn’t as good as Hester, I disagree. If you compare the two players stats from 07, which is the only great year either one of them has had, Hester blew Cribbs away in punt returns but in kick returns Cribbs averaged about 9 yards more than Hester. And it doesn’t matter how good you are if you don’t have the blockers. I like Cribbs better, not just because I am a Browns fan, but because he was a quarterback in college and hopefully one day will be used a little more in the wildcat formation. It will be interesting to see how good Hester is this year with a top notch quarterback.
No offense people, but your comments make no sense. First of all, Josh Cribbs and his agent SHOULD use the Hester deal as the basis for negotiations. Not because he should get the same deal as he did, but because Hester is getting 15 million in guaranteed money, Cribbs is getting two million. I think it is fair to say that Cribbs is worth at least HALF the Hester contract. And enough about questioning his value. First of all, whenever he is back waiting for kicks, he is the top five threats in the league. Second of all, he is valuable, WHEN USED CORRECTLY, in creative offensive packages. And let’s not forget he is the BEST coverage guy on special teams in the league. Nevermind the fact that he is a good example for the younger guys and reminds me of the throwback Browns of old. To be such an offensive threat and still have that tenacity in his coverage ability on Kickoffs shows that he is a REAL football player. Give him what he deserves, or face losing a great Brown.
These football players are starting to piss me off! How come when a team signs a player to a long term contract, the player will start complaining after a year or 2 of work that they should be getting paid more…I say, you sign the contract, you fulfill the contract until you get a new one. No one forced Josh Cribbs to sign a 6 year deal, he did it on his own. (or his agent told him to sign it) Yet, when a player signs an astronomical contract and they dont play up to expectations, (as in Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, or any other of the Browns first round picks that were busts) the team doesn’t get to say, wait, you didn’t hold up to your end of the deal and pay them less money to make the team better. If he holds out, fine, then I think he can sign somewhere else after his contract runs out in 4 more years. Sorry Josh, I am a big fan of yours, but not your attitude!