Browns’ Contracts Talks With Brian Hoyer & Jordan Cameron May Continue Well Into The Season

 

Tom Reed of Cleveland.com writes that the Browns’ negotiations involving QB Brian Hoyer and TE Jordan Cameron could extend well past training camp and into the regular season.

Brian Hoyer 

This probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise given that Hoyer’s agent, Joe Linta, has said that his client may hold off on discussion an extension until his value becomes clearer later in the season.

Hoyer would likely be taking a calculated risk by putting off long-term talks given that the Browns traded up in round one to select Johnny Manziel. As things stand right now, it would appear as though Hoyer will enter camp as the favorite to win the starting job, but there is no guarantee that he will be able to hold off Manziel in the months leading up to the start of the season.

Last year, Hoyer played great for the Browns in two games, but unfortunately suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

Hoyer, 28, is entering the final year of his current contract and will make $1 million for the 2014 season. The Browns already paid him a $250,000 roster bonus on March 15.

Jordan Cameron 

As for TE Jordan Cameron, he has reportedly turned down numerous offers from the Browns, despite the fact that he has maintained that he would like to continue playing for the Browns.

“If I didn’t say it, it’s not true,” Cameron told Cleveland.com a few months ago. “I would love to play here. I started here, I want to finish up here. But the contract stuff is outside of here. I’ll let my agent deal with that.“

Cameron is in a great position to secure a huge contract, even if he doesn’t produce the same numbers he did in 2013. It would make plenty of sense for him to wait and see what happens with Jimmy Graham given that he is widely expected to set the bar for the tight end position.

Reed writes that “it would surprise nobody if the Browns had to use the franchise tag on Cameron next year.”

Graham received the franchise tag this year and will make $7.035 million should he sign his tender.

Cameron, 25, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to make just $645,000 for the 2014 season. He’s coming off of a break season in which he caught 80 passes for 917 yards receiving and seven touchdowns over the course of 15 games.

While Cameron is clearly a weapon in the passing game, Pro Football Focus has him rated as one of the worst qualifying blocking tight ends in the league last year.

We have Graham and Cameron both featured in our Top 25 – 2015 Free Agents List.