Browns, Cribbs agree

As reported by Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer on Wednesday night, Josh Cribbs will hold a press conference on Friday, most likely to announce that he and the Browns have agreed to a restructured contract that will provide him a substantial raise. As of Wednesday evening at 8:30 p.m., financial terms were not disclosed. Cribbs was seeking $10 million over three years..the Browns initial offer was half that. My guess is the final deal is in the middle somewhere, maybe around the three-year, $8 million mark. Could be $7 or $7.5 million. Regardless, this should be a weight lifted off the shoulders of Browns fans. There was a lot of drama surrounding this issue, as Cribbs and his agents were VERY vocal about the desire to get a new deal done after this season. Cribbs made a public scene, cleaning out his locker and saying he was "done" two days after Mike Holmgren was hired. Very premature move on Cribbs' part. In the past, in this space, I have questioned the professionalism of his agent, J.R. Rickert. Apparently the guy isn't that bad as he got the Browns to give Cribbs more money, simple as that. During this ongoing process, I have been critical of all the parties involved. Let me just say this: there is no way Cribbs was ever going to sit out this season, as he threatened. He has three years left on his current contract and if he sat out, he'd stop getting paid and fall out of the public eye. Two things that he would never let happen. So essentially his threats were those of the empty variety. Mike Holmgren and the Browns deserve credit for knowing that they need to keep their most effective weapon happy. Even though they were aware the Cribbs would not just sit out if he wasn't given a new, better contract. So, as I said this is good news for Browns fans. It sends the message that this new front office knows what is going on and who the players are that need to be kept and rewarded for performance.

As for Cribbs on the field, I will be curious to see how, if it all, he is worked into the offense this upcoming season. It's common sense that he needs to be on the field for more than a handful of plays. Whether it is in the slot or as part of a Wildcat package taking direct snaps, Cribbs needs to touch the ball more than he did last season. Period.