Browns assistant general manager Ray Farmer was considered a top candidate for the Miami Dolphins' GM position, but said this week that he "didn't finish the process" for a reason.
"I think Cleveland is primed and I think we're in a position to redefine the history books," Farmer told Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. "I think change is on the horizon and I didn't want to miss what's going to happen in Cleveland."
Said Farmer: "I assume they would've given me the job. That's the way it was articulated to me. If I took the job, I would've reported directly to (Dolphins owner) Stephen Ross and it was a tremendous opportunity. It still is a dream of mine to become a general manager and run my own program and put together my own team, but it wasn't the right time for me."
Farmer's words fly in the face of widespread criticism that paints Cleveland's front office as a tangled clown car. He insists his decision to return to the team didn't come with promises of a promotion.
"No, and I would've balked at that. I will never hunt anyone's job that I work with. That's not what I'm inclined to do," said Farmer, who went out of his way to praise Browns general manager Michael Lombardi.
"I love Mike Lombardi," Farmer said. "A lot of people in this city don't, but those people don't know him. He's one of my dearest friends at this point. He's intelligent, he's smart, he's witty, he challenges me every day to be better, so I like where I'm at and I like him. There are no assurances in the NFL and coming off a 4-12 season, people are skeptical, people don't understand why some decisions were made inside the building, but, again, I think inevitably, I trust the process we're going through."
Whatever the arrangement, Farmer clearly saw his current responsibilities as a better option than what's happening in South Beach.
The "Around The League Podcast" recapped Super Bowl XLVIII live from MetLife Stadium right after the game.
