#HeyTony: Could the Browns be the opponent of the Super Bowl champions in the 2021 prime-time season opener?

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

Hey Tony: The Browns play in KC and GB next year. If one of them wins the Super Bowl, likelihood of Browns opening on TNF next year?

-- Dave, Akron, OH

Hey Dave: I think it would be a strong consideration. The networks love the Browns, especially now that they are undeniably an AFC force. NBC received good ratings for Browns at Giants and Ravens at Browns this year. But it wouldn’t be a cinch. The Chiefs have the Bills on their home schedule in 2021, and a rematch of the previous season’s championship game always is a compelling attraction. The Packers have home games against the Seahawks and Rams, which might be intriguing to NBC, too.

Hey Tony: How do you prioritize the extensions of Baker, Chubb, and Teller? Also, do you do more than just take the option for Ward?

-- Mike, Conneaut Lake, PA

Hey Mike: Mayfield has to be first because it will be the largest and set salary cap parameters for the entire team over the next 5-6 years. Chubb, in my opinion, is a close second because he is a rare player and teammate who needs to be rewarded for who he is and what he means to the team. Teller would have to be considered after the first wave – definitely before his contract runs out after 2021. Ward can be given the fifth-year option in May, and that conceivably could buy the team time to create more room after 2021 to take care of him. The consequences of a team with multiple stars become more challenging as it ascends. There will be casualties.

Hey Tony: Should the Browns make their secondary a high priority in the draft, or should they trust Greedy and Delpit will get healthy and perform well?

-- Paul, Rocky River, OH

Hey Paul: GM Andrew Berry trusts that Williams and Delpit will be healthy for the start of training camp. If so, they essentially are additions to the Joe Woods defense in 2021 with the added benefit of spending a whole season learning it via Zoom. The high priorities should be at defensive end and linebacker.

Hey Tony: What will it take to get JJ Watt? OBJ package for him?

-- Josh, South Euclid, OH

Hey Josh: Watt is intriguing, the type of player a contender would covet to help put it over the top. He will enter the final year of his contract at age 32 with a salary and cap number of $17.5 million. My hunch is that figure is too high considering all the other commitments expected to be made to existing players. To reduce it, the Browns would have to add years to his deal, which is like postponing charges to another year at a higher cost. Like DeShaun Watson, Watt is disgruntled about the way things are going in Houston. It would be great if he became a cap casualty instead of having to trade for him. I imagine the Texans would rather have a first-round pick than Odell Beckham Jr.

Hey Tony: Which free agents are absolutely vital to re-sign?

-- Gabe, Cincinnati, OH

Hey Gabe: Honestly? I think Rashard Higgins presents the absolute best value.

Hey Tony: Should OBJ be traded and what do we need for him?

-- Derek, Stuttgart Germany (from Canton)

Hey Derek: This is a sensitive subject within the organization because Beckham is so well-liked from the highest levels on down. But if you take away sentimentality, it makes a lot of sense. However, his trade value was damaged by the knee injury and contract. Further, speed at wideout is the biggest need on offense. But there are speed receivers available every year in the draft. The Browns get all upset when the subject of a Beckham trade is broached. Maybe things would change at the trade deadline in late October.

Hey Tony: Will the Browns entice Olivier Vernon to take a pay cut and come back per his best year as a Brown? Injuries are an issue but he is a key piece against the Run and Pass.

-- Joe, Chicago, IL

Hey Joe: I thought this would be Vernon’s last year with the Browns even before his Achilles rupture. That’s a 12-month injury. I can’t see them carrying him on an injury list all year.

Hey Tony: What does analytics say about trading up in the first round of the draft?

-- Aaron, Canton, OH

Hey Aaron: I don’t know what analytics say. But I say, “Please, no. Just use pick No. 26 on best available defensive player.”

Hey Tony: Your best guess as to the biggest FA defense acquisition Andrew Berry makes this offseason? We made a couple big splashes with offense last year.

-- Joe, Galion, OH

Hey Joe: Somebody from this group: Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, linebacker Lavonte David, linebacker Haason Reddick, defensive end Takk McKinley, linebacker Tyus Bowser, linebacker Matt Milano. Just spitballing here.

Hey Tony: If Clay Mathews makes the Hall of Fame, who do you believe would be the next former Browns player with a shot? Gary Collins, maybe?

-- Chris, Huntingdon, PA

Hey Chris: Joe Thomas in three years. Otherwise, Collins is a deserving candidate. So is Earnest Byner.

Hey Tony: What were your thoughts on how the Browns used Andy Janovich this season?

-- Danny, Chardon, OH

Hey Danny: His role diminished when coach Kevin Stefanski used more runs out of the shotgun to accommodate Mayfield.

Hey Tony: What happens to the contracts of the players who “opted out” of 2020, which players on the Browns opted out, and will any of them returning make benefit the team?

-- Jeremy, Philadelphia, PA

Hey Jeremy:: Five Browns players opted out from playing during the 2020 pandemic. They were defensive tackle Andrew Billings and offensive linemen Drew Forbes, Colby Gossett, Drake Dorbeck and Malcolm Pridgeon. All are expected to return. Their contracts “toll” to 2021, which means whatever was in their contract for 2020 simply rolls into 2021.

Hey Tony: How important is it to sign Terrance Mitchell? He's not great, but he played every game and I hate to imagine 2020 without him after Greedy got hurt and Ward and Johnson were in and out.

-- Larry, Jacksonville, FL

Hey Larry: Andrew Berry praised Mitchell for filling the starting role as a result of Williams’ injury. In the context of a question about Mitchell, Berry said, “You can never have enough corners.” I don’t expect every player back whose contract has expired. If Mitchell is not re-signed, they will fill the position with somebody else.

Hey Tony: Do you see a scenario where the Browns start next season without David Njoku, Rashard Higgins and Olivier Vernon? Great coverage this year!!

-- Leonard, Troy, OH

Hey Leonard: I think Higgins will be back. The others, I’m not so sure.