NFL Rumors: Barkevious Mingo not going to play for “a while”
August 25, 2013
While We’re Waiting… They keep hanging on.
August 26, 2013The Oakland Raiders have reportedly cut former Browns return man Josh Cribbs according to Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune.
Cribbs terminated as vested veteran. Simply never recovered from knee injury.
— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) August 25, 2013
Cribbs signed with the Raiders this past off season after he and new Browns management could not come to terms on a new deal. The former all-pro claimed he would have taken a small pay cut to re-sign with the team who gave him his shot in the NFL, but criticized the new regime in Berea, stating he was “not confident in upper management“.
In 2012 Cribbs was chosen by the fans for his third pro bowl, following a season where he ranked in the top ten in the NFL in both yards per kick and punt return. The deal Cribbs signed back in 2010 paid him around $7 million in guaranteed money and was worth up to $40 million in incentives. Conversely, the deal he inked with Oakland this past off-season paid him $225,000 before being cut, leaving the remainder of the $1.25 million unearned.
Cribbs joins Mo Massaquoi as another former Browns’ receiver cut this past week. Massaquoi was then picked up by the Jets and is rumored to be preferred over Braylon Edwards.
[Related: Cleveland Browns on the bubble]
13 Comments
At least he has his acting now.
I suspect being a KR is much like being a RB. When you “lose it”, you lose it in a hurry. No shame in hanging them up now, Josh. You had a heck of a career for an UDFA QB from Kent St.
On the other hand, we do sort of need a KR right now….(ahem)….
Low-risk move with a positive payoff with fans and potential for positive returns (puns!) on the field? Bring him back at a number around what Oakland gave him, perhaps even a bit less overall. We certainly can’t say we don’t have the cap space for such a thing. I get the new regime wanting a facelift, but why not do that more in 2014 when we draft the new QB of the future?
And who loses their roster spot to this gimmick?
Well clearly someone destined to make a critical impact in the coming season: Richardson, Mingo, maybe Joe Haden. Because we all know that final rosters never contain unproven, borderline qualified players that could be sacrificed for a low-cost, proven commodity who also happens to a a fan favorite.
You do realize you’re talking about a low cost, proven commodity that cannot pass a physical and/or wasn’t able to make it on a terrible Oakland team, right? Stop thinking with your heart, it’s been great, but we broke up, we need to move on now.
But then I have to go out and buy a new jersey and everything. Priorities, man!
this is crazy talk. You’d prefer a broken-down Cribbs over Benjamin or anyone else on returns. Not to mention Cribbs’s consistent running to the media with criticisms when his role/salary expectations are on the line. The special teams are fine without him, and neither Norv nor the young receivers would benefit from his self-serving criticisms.
He was a warrior but it’s over.
On a personal note, I hope Cribbs was smart with his money and can take of his family moving forward. The NFL is a brutal place. These guys make lots of money, but it can all disappear so quickly. Cribbs is a Cleveland guy, and I hope he is alright.
Agreed, and I would love to see him coaching STs for Kent State just to keep him local, keep him with a paycheck and he obviously loves the school (as can be seen from the Kent State Caravan for the college WS). Always like local guys staying local and involved beyond their playing days.
If Benjamin remains healthy, then yes, he serves as your primary guy on returns. If Cribbs is healthy enough to pass the physical then you put him back there as the up man. The speed of the young guy coupled with an NFL record holder? Teams better hope their kickers are putting it out of the end zone against that combo.
I realize that you and several other folks here were turned off by Cribbs’ efforts to get the most out of the team, especially during the Pay the Man phase, and if you believe he is incapable of learning from the experience of being let go from Cleveland plus this cut fom Oakland, then so be it. Seems to me that a guy in his shoes might see the writing on the wall and, if he wishes to continue his career, accept the role of return/coverage guy on a team where most fans still hold him in high regard, and for less money than he may have had in mind this time last year. Obviously, though, only the player knows whether that’s
Agreed. If recent commercials are any indicator, here’s hoping he doesn’t plan on relying on his acting skills…
per Pluto of the PD:
– In his last preseason game with the Raiders, he juggled one kickoff, then fumbled another. The Raiders said his speed has diminished.
– Last season, he had six fumbles on punt and kickoff returns — losing three. That was the most in his career. He still was fourth on the team in special team tackles, but he was in the top two most seasons.
No, it does not make football sense, especially if you’re counting on a long time veteran changing his propensity to run to the media to call out his own coaches (or as you put it, try “to get the most out of the team”) when he wasn’t used more or in roles he preferred during contract years. At $1.25 million, Oakland had no reason to cut him unless he was done. Do we want our team professionally and competently run now or a nostalgia roster spot?