Buckeyes Roundball Roundup: Split against Nebraska, Northwestern
January 23, 2017
Foul Play: Cavs at Pelicans Behind the Box Score
January 23, 2017Saving themselves from having to bid on the open market, the Cleveland Browns have officially signed linebacker Jamie Collins to a four-year deal worth a reported $50 million with $26 million guaranteed.
“From the day I walked in the door, I felt welcomed by my new teammates and everyone in this organization,” said Collins via press release. “The past is the past as far as last season’s record, but today is a new day. I’m only looking forward. I know we have a lot of work to do, and with Coach Hue leading us and the front office bringing in talent, I feel like we are going to get there and I feel good about continuing my career here.”
A Pro Bowl selection, All-Pro honoree, and Super Bowl champion, Collins was acquired from the New England Patriots via trade on Oct. 31. He started all eight games with the Browns and totaled 69 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, two sacks and one forced fumble. In total for the 2016 season, he appeared in 15 games and logged 112 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, three sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Originally selected by New England in the second round of the 2013 draft, he has appeared in 58 games with 49 starts. He has totaled 354 career tackles, 12.5 sacks, five interceptions, 11 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, one defensive touchdown and one blocked extra point. In 2015, he earned his first career Pro Bowl selection and was named to the Associated Press All-Pro second team. He led New England in tackles and played every defensive snap during the team’s win in Super Bowl XLIX. He led the Patriots in tackles in 2014 and 2015. He is expected to slot into the interior of Gregg Williams’ defensive scheme where the Browns’ new defensive coordinator will look to exploit the linebacker’s versatility in both the run and passing game.
“It’s no secret how I feel about Jamie Collins,” said Head Coach Hue Jackson. “He’s an outstanding football player and a guy we think can be part of the foundation of a tremendous defense. I was excited when we were able to trade for him last season, and now, I’m even more excited knowing that he is going to part of our future. We all know we have a lot of work to do to get our team where we feel it needs to be. Jamie wants to be a part of that. He wants to help build this team for success. He was outstanding in our locker room last year because he’s seen what success in the NFL looks like and our players respect the way he carries himself. We are all looking forward to him being a part of the success we plan to earn through our hard work and preparation.”
The Cleveland Browns had $110 million in cap space before the Collins signing, meaning that, depending on the structure of the deal, there will be roughly $98 million in space going forward. The Tampa Bay Buccanneers sit with the second most cap space at just over $84 million.
Collins’ deal puts him eighth among linebackers in terms of total value, but his average value per year will make him the highest paid in the NFL, topping Carolina’s Luke Kuechly who signed a five-year, $62 million at the end of 2015.
21 Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2uu6NF2inY
Sashi is warming up….
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Good step. Now let’s get him some counterparts that will free him up on occasion.
[Browns fans buy Collins’ jersey]
[Collins blows out knee in spring minicamp]
The cycle continues…
You’ll be proud to know that when I first heard the news of the Collins signing, I immediately thought “Eat that, RGB!”
oh , man … don’t say that. it’s time for things to start going the other now … we’ve suffered long enough.
Don’t Gary Baxter us yet
THERE WILL BE SPENDING OF THE MONIES !!! …. in all honesty , i think RGB knew it was coming … it’s obviously the only way they’re really going to get competitive again. they don’t have to go crazy , get Pryor signed & then get a couple of impact FA’s that can start right now & help this team … i’m seeing some very very good defensive FA’s out there & we’re going to need some bodies on the O-line.
“don’t get all excited about one signing , TB2 !!” … i understand. the signing of Collins is much more than about the player himself … that the HBT is willing to make him the highest paid LB in the league 1) shows the fans something – 2) shows the current players something & 3) shows potential FA’s something as well.
everyone should be excited about this … this is a good start.
Can’t this work as a reverse of a jinx?
I said ONE knee… not both of ’em. I’m not THAT sadistic.
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i’m a little surprised SCOTT had the stamina to do another article yesterday … i think he posted more yesterday than he did in all of 2016.
it’s all good , man …
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… i hope so.
Remember that when they trade JT. 😛
Don’t LeCharles Bentley us then : )
It’s a New Day
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Real Browns fans know how to appropriate recycle game day apparel.
http://dailysnark.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Screen-Shot-2016-12-01-at-9.26.12-AM-480×500.jpg
This is pretty cool!
So important to have a smart, versatile middle linebacker in a Gregg Williams defense. I feel very good about this. There were clearly some growing pains joining the team mid-season, but he flashed plenty and by the end of the year had definitely made the defense better. If we structure contracts so that the dead money disappears by year 3, we can leverage our stockpiled draft space without immediate risk of cap hell. I suspect that the Browns’ commitment to NOT signing aging veterans means the players we do get will be fairly expensive. Clearing all this space the year prior to the splash will help a lot with that.
Note that the Browns will have even a little more space than is indicated, as there will certainly be a few more guys purged. They can save $7M by cutting Tramon Williams, who will be 34 next season. He gone. Also, at least one of Josh McCown and RG3 will be out, saving either $4.3M or $7M.
When do we start FA target lists? Other than Pryor, I’d like to see if they can swoop in and steal JC Tretter from Green Bay because they have another quality Center they need to pay and because of injury history. When he plays, he’s very good, and if he’d been healthy all year he would have been their starter. 25yrs old and a UFA.
I have the same jersey. Years ago I changed it to say “WIN NOW.” Those were optimistic days…