NFL Notes: Bears, Browns, Cowboys, Steelers

Bears

• Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com mentions that if the Bears use their franchise tag again on WR Alshon Jeffery it could be to try to trade him to another team.
• Fitzgerald says that he isn’t sure what the benefit would be for the Bears to keep Jeffery at the franchise tag price.
• Fitzgerald believes Jeffery could come close to $15 million per year in a long-term contract on the open market.

Browns

• Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer spoke with a high-level NFL personnel executive this week who believes the Browns would be smart to draft UNC’s Mitch Trubisky No. 1 overall.
• In fact, Cabot’s source said he thinks Trubisky actually has more upside than Eagles QB Carson Wentz.
• Assuming the Browns feel the same way, Cabot says they’ll have to use their No. 1 overall pick on him, as it’s unlikely he would be available to Cleveland at No. 12 overall.
• Cabot believes the Browns still need to bolster their offensive line depth this offseason, but they should use their two first-round picks on a quarterback and a pass-rusher such as Alabama’s Jonathan Allen.

Cowboys

• While there will be cap ramifications if the Cowboys trade QB Tony Romo, Jason Fitzgerald says that he’s still tradeable, even though they’ll only pick up around $5 million of cap space by doing so.

Steelers

• Dan Graziano of ESPN mentions that the Steelers signing RB Le’Veon Bell is a complicated negotiation for Pittsburgh, considering his injury history and prior suspensions.
• Graziano fully expects Bell to return for the 2017 season, possibly under the franchise tag, which would cost them around $12.4 million fully guaranteed.
• According to Graziano, the Steelers “aren’t 100 percent sure” they want to commit top-end money to in a long-term contract, which is why they may tag him and see how things go in 2017.
• Jason Fitzgerald mentions that an extension for Bell could ultimately come in around $10 million per year, even with some of the red flags.
• In regards to Antonio Brown, Fitzgerald could see him securing a three- or four-year extension that would pay him close to $15.5 million per year and make him the highest paid receiver in the NFL.