The Cleveland Browns are counting on Brandon Weeden to turn around a decade-plus of sadness on the shores of Lake Erie.
The first step is getting Weeden under contract, but there's a holdup on that front, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.
Weeden's camp is after a four-year, fully guaranteed deal, league sources told Cabot.
"It'll get done," Weeden said Friday. "We're working. It takes two sides, though."
It's no reason for the people in Cleveland to set their lawns on fire -- yet. Weeden, like the three players selected after him -- Riley Reiff (Lions), David DeCastro (Steelers) and Dont'a Hightower (Patriots) -- are all caught up on the guaranteed money issue, according to the report. We saw something similar last year, the first under the new collective bargaining agreement's rookie slotting system.
Weeden is expected to receive a four-year deal in the neighborhood of $8.1 million. Most players receive three guaranteed years, and that's the difference here. It could end up as a three-year guaranteed contract with a roster bonus, per the paper, but the money is pocket change for a player the Browns view as franchise-quarterback material.
They haven't had one of those in eons. We don't expect a delay.
