When the Browns couldn’t agree to an extension with center Alex Mack this offseason, they ran the risk of losing him to another team without compensation by using the transition tag to give themselves the right to match another offer for Mack’s services.
The Jaguars made such an offer and the Browns wound up matching it, but it’s not a course of action that you want to take with too many players you’d ultimately like to keep. That makes it something to keep in mind with tight end Jordan Cameron entering the final year of his contract.
Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com reports that the Browns would like to avoid a repeat of the Mack situation and have been talking with Cameron about an extension that would keep him in Cleveland beyond the 2014 season. Those talks have been proceeding “without success,” so there’s no expectation of an imminent announcement of a deal.
There’s plenty of time for that to change before next offseason gets underway and Cameron can use the coming season to make his case for an even bigger contract. A repeat of last year’s 80 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns would certainly help Cameron sell himself and could force the Browns into another call about franchise or transition tags if they can’t see eye to eye on Cameron’s value.