Time is drawing near for Andrew Berry’s second act

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

The way the 2020 Browns season ended, everyone wants 2021 to get here as quickly as possible. Or at least the 2021 transaction season.

But there are still two weeks until free agency launches the new NFL calendar year. Teams are waiting for the league and players union to compute the 2021 salary cap. It will be no lower than $180 million per team, but it will not approach the 2020 cap figure of $198.2 million.

For that reason, teams are poised to cut veteran players and redo existing contracts to create a budget for new expenditures.

That’s why the J.J. Watt sweepstakes is on hold. That’s why the Browns haven’t tipped their hand on any offseason intentions. But they do have their offseason blueprint in hand, the one which they hope will top off their 12-win team and extend their season to the AFC Championship Game, or beyond, in 2021.

Coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry are expected to hold Zoom media sessions this week in a symbolic kickoff to the new year. Don’t expect much clarity on their plans. We all will be reading tea leaves right up until player transaction announcements.

While the NFL quarterback carousel burns the offseason buzz, the Browns are amused bystanders.

For once, the bulk of the Browns’ offseason tasks don’t involve searching for a quarterback. But there is one QB decision facing them, and it sits at the top of a long list of issues confronting Berry and Stefanski.

Here is our own blueprint to the Browns’ offseason plans, along with our takeaways on what might transpire.

1. Baker Mayfield’s contract extension

The demises of Jared Goff and Carson Wentz and their respective teams after mega-million contract extensions may be considered cautionary tales by some. But the Browns have to base their decision on their quarterback and their team – not on mistakes made by other organizations.

The Browns still have Mayfield on his rookie contract for two more seasons. That is their window to a Super Bowl. But it should not forestall a new contract. Remember, it’s an extension. The big numbers of a four-year extension start in 2023. If all goes right, the Browns could appear in their first Super Bowl by then.

The meter is ticking. If the Browns wrap up an extension this year, the huge signing bonus can be divided by six years, instead of five or four. That helps keep Mayfield’s cap number lower when the monstrous salary numbers take effect over the last four years.

Mayfield is the first Browns quarterback to win a playoff game on the road, and he did it in Pittsburgh -- the most inhospitable venue in Browns history. It’s fair to argue that Mayfield’s career arc under the direction of Stefanski and coordinator Alex Van Pelt has just begun to climb. The longer they’re together, the better he should get.

The reason this leads my list as top priority is because the Browns need to know Mayfield’s future contract numbers to budget their salary structures for 2023 and beyond – when new NFL media deals and the resumption of packed stadiums will skyrocket team caps into the mid-$200 million range.

My take: The Browns will not announce when they begin extension talks. They will exercise the fifth-year option on Mayfield’s rookie deal in May and then quietly begin negotiations for a mega-deal. Look for an announcement before or during 2021 training camp.

2. Retain their own

Chronologically, Berry’s first task is choosing which free agents to bring back from among a list of 18 unrestricted and three restricted free agents.

This figures to be a small number considering the reduction in salary cap pressed against future inevitable contract extensions.

I took a stab on handicapping this list on Jan. 26 in this column. One month later, I don’t see reason to change.

My take: I forsee short-term deals for receiver Rashard Higgins (despite his recent revelation of no contact with the Browns since the season ended), offensive tackle Kendall Lamm, defensive tackle Vincent Taylor, receiver KhaDarel Hodge and cornerback Tavierre Thomas. I think it’s possible that one more can come from a group that includes cornerback Terrance Mitchell, linebacker B.J. Goodson, linebacker Tae Davis, safety Karl Joseph and kicker Cody Parkey.

3. Intensify the pursuit of J.J. Watt

Watt and agent Tom Condon have gone radio silent after a plethora of media tidbits leaked last week, which served to cast them as the source to drum up business. One tidbit suggested Watt would begin visiting clubs this week.

Whether or not the Browns have made a formal offer is not known. Again, every team wants clarity on the salary cap first.

My take: Watt’s versatility to play inside and outside, his senior leadership and his desire to win a championship make him an undeniable fit for the Browns. A short-term deal for him should be a priority for the Browns. I don’t believe the Browns are Watt’s first choice, but they could move up as other teams fall by the wayside.

4. Restructure existing contracts

I don’t think the Browns can accomplish their goal of significantly upgrading the defense without restructuring the contracts of some veteran players.

These may include defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, offensive lineman Chris Hubbard and receiver Jarvis Landry. Left guard Joel Bitonio, center JC Tretter and quarterback Case Keenum also could be candidates for restructuring.

My take: Some of these can easily be redone to reduce existing salary cap numbers; others could be more problematical.

5. Pursue a trade

The perfect trade involves using a surplus at one position to fill a position of need.

Consider tight end David Njoku. He wants to be traded and is due to make $6.013 million as the team’s third tight end. Who needs a young, ascending tight end? New England comes to mind. The Patriots reportedly want to dump cornerback Stephon Gilmore, 31, who is scheduled to make about $7.5 million in the last year of his contract.

My take: Whatever exchange of draft picks is needed to make this work should not be too challenging. Gilmore would be an ideal short-term solution at cornerback. Extending his contract one year would lower his cap number.

6. Contract extensions for Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb and Wyatt Teller

Each of these has its own timeline. The contracts for Chubb and Teller are up after this season. Ward’s fifth-year option must be picked up in May, and then he would be under contract through 2022.

My take: I would prioritize these business matters: 1. Chubb, 2. Teller, 3. Ward. Work on a new deal for Chubb could start after Mayfield’s is done. Teller would be next and could lapse into the regular season. Ward might have to wait till 2022.

7. Add a few defensive veterans

Signing Watt and trading for Gilmore would be a terrific start to the transaction season. If Watt chooses another team, the Browns would have to concentrate on a pass rush defensive end. If they don’t trade for Gilmore, a potential target could be the Saints’ Marshon Lattimore. But a new contract for him would be huge and could compromise future negotiations with Ward.

The names of free agent linebacker Lavonte David and safety Anthony Harris have been connected to the Browns. Those are high-ticket items the Browns might be wise to avoid.

My take: What makes Watt and Gilmore attractive are they are short-term investments – two years. Remember, if Mayfield is given a new deal, the salary structure changes radically in 2023, even thought the cap should be much larger by then. Short-term deals on veterans would elapse just as 2021 draft picks are coming into their own. I would be wary of investing in longer free agent contracts at this time.

8. Clarify Odell Beckham Jr.’s future

Beckham’s season-ending ACL injury in Game 7 essentially postponed a decision on Beckham’s future into 2022. The injury exercised a guarantee of about $12.8 million of his 2021 salary of $14.5 million and it made him virtually untradeable. For now.

Who would trade for a player coming off ACL surgery without seeing him on the field first? I’ve never seen it. But if Beckham returns to action for the start of 2021, the Browns would be able to gauge whether the Beckham-Mayfield chemistry has become more workable. If not, there is always the trade deadline at midseason to gauge Beckham’s trade value.

My take: The Beckham-to-Tampa Bay speculation will cool for now, but could heat up in October.