Browns Were Expected To Move Fast To Sign CB Sam Shields Had He Not Re-Upped With Packers

Packers CB Sam Shields spoke to the media for the first time on Tuesday since he signed his new contract extension.

Interestingly enough, Shields mentioned that he was set to board a flight to Cleveland right before free agency kicked off back in March.

Shied’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had been in contact with the Browns during the designated negotiating period right before the start of free agency. Other teams were also interested, but only the Browns were specifically mentioned, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.

“Most of the time I was scared because, like I said, I wanted to be a Packer,” Shields said. “You know how that business goes. It’s kind of scary at first, but they came with it. I’m happy to be back.”

According to Demovsky, “things would have happened quickly” between the Browns and Shields had the Packers not agreed to terms.

Shields, 26, signed a four-year, $39 million contract that included a $12.5 million signing bonus. This contract places him in the top-10 for annual salary.

Green Bay certainly paid a steep price to retain Shields, but it could have been worse with deep-pocket teams like the Browns in the mix for services.

Last year, he totaled 61 tackles, four interceptions and 17 pass defenses over the course of 16 games.