Browns tight end Kellen Winslow wants a new contract, and he hasn’t attended the team’s voluntary off-season workouts.
But there doesn’t appear to be any major showdown forthcoming. Winslow’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, says Winslow will attend the mandatory minicamp this month, and the Browns say they see no big news on the horizon.
“We don’t have a lot of wiggle room right now at this particular time,” Browns General Manager Phil Savage said. “Only time will tell if it goes one direction or the other, but I think we’ve let it be known kind of where we are.”
Winslow has three years left on his current contract, with base salaries of $4 million, $4.5 million and $4.75 million. Winslow and Rosenhaus reportedly believe a fair extension would be something in the neighborhood of the six-year, $42 million contract tight end Dallas Clark signed with the Colts.
Although Winslow is coming off two very solid years on the field in which the Browns have had his services for a relative bargain, those were preceded by two years in which he was one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league but hardly played because of a broken leg and a motorcycle accident. Over the totality of his career, Winslow’s pay has hardly been unfair, and the Browns aren’t likely to give him the raise he seeks.
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June 4th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
If I was Phil Savage I’d dig my heels in on this one. Rosenhaus has really got a set of balls to even suggest that Winslow deserves a contract in the Dallas Clark ballpark. Two relatively productive years (after two years of nada) does not a superstar make. Kellen, make an All Pro team or a Pro Bowl appearance and then come back and we’ll talk.
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Rating: 4.65 / 5 with 9 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
If I stayed out of work and asked for a 50% pay raise, I’d probably be trying to recover from a broken leg too.
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Rating: 4.6 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Seems like Phil drafted Martin Rucker (pass-catching tight end with decent size to create mismatches and stretch the field) as an insurance policy. Whether or not he pans out remains to be seen, but its my guess they’re going to get a better look at this guy before making any decisions regarding Winslow. And while as a Browns fan I love Winslow on the field, his past injuries will definitely have an effect on his longevity. It’s not worth killing your cap over a guy that can end his career by (re)aggravating one knee just by running.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Kellen has been great for us lately, playing like the soldier we all know he is. However, I don’t think he has even made up for the millions we paid him when he did nothing for us yet. If he can give us another Pro Bowl caliber year or two he won’t even have to ask for a new deal, we’ll give him one on a silver platter.
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Rating: 2.55 / 5 with 9 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Shackman, he made last year’s Pro Bowl. I think it’s hard to not admit that he is one of the best TEs in the league right now, but I’m with you in that the favor that the Browns did for him by reworking his contract after his motorcycle accident, coupled with the amount of money he was paid for not doing anything productive on the field, makes asking for a new contract borderline ridiculous. You can see Winslow’s (and Drew’s) side of it, too… he probably doesn’t have six years on that knee… and they want the money for his production now.
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Rating: 4.65 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
The Browns should not give this “soldier” another penny. Winslow is already damn lucky they didn’t force him to repay a substantial amount of signing bonus that they should have after his motorcycle accident. Now this jerk wants another huge stack of money handed to him. What’s he going to do after that, go out and buy a private jet to crash ?
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Rating: 4.35 / 5 with 9 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I think he gets paid pretty well for a soldier.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 9 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
What they fail to mention is that after each productive season he’s had to go in for surgery, on the same knee. If this continues, Randy Lerner will be wheeling him up and down the sidelines so he can watch the game.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 8 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
i would wait at least another year, maybe 1.5 years, before redoing anything. he will be 25 in july, and with that knee, he is an old 25 (think 27 knee age?).
once they hit 28, most players, especially ones that depend on speed and agility, go downhill.
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Rating: 1.8 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
shackman,
winslow did make a probowl appearance this year along with 5 other browns.
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Rating: 2.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Why would any GM in his right mind try to work out a long-term deal with Rosenhaus? If the player becomes complacent and lazy you are stuck eating a huge part of the signing bonus when you cut him. If he has a couple of good years (Chad, TO, Winslow) then they whine, bitch and pout about how unfair the team has been.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 7 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Maybe Honda of Cleveland could give him some type of endorsement deal.
The reason DRosen wants a deal so he can get paid. He’s working pro-bono right now. Good for Phil Savage.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Well, shackman, Winslow DID actually make a Pro-Bowl appearance a mere couple of months ago… but, with that said, I agree with just about everyone but Winslow and Rosenhaus on this one. I’m a big fan of the kid, but he need to prove he can continue to do so for a while before anybody is going to throw even MORE money his way. The organization had every right to take back most of the bonus money they gave him over the first couple of years of his deal in response to his motorcycle fiasco, and while they did take some back, they put it back into his contract in incentives. So they (Winslow et. al.) need to realize that he owes Phil Savage and the rest of the organization a whole lot more than two good (albeit VERY good) years before they start clammering for more cash.
Besides, if they were to give Winslow the raise he wants, certainly Edwards deserves it as well, if not more so.
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Rating: 4.8 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Browns need to hold to their Guns. If Team has a player represented by Rosenhaus. You can exspect this to happen. Look at the Bengals with Chad. When are players and agents going to realize a contract is a Contract.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I’d give Braylon the cash before Winslow.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
After what this guy did with his Evel Kellenievel motorcycle stunts, and having the team remain loyal to him… this just makes me want to puke. The Browns showed him loyalty when he completely f-d up… they didn’t cut him, didn’t try to reclaim the bonus money they paid him through his first two years… no, they only restructured his contract in a way that would still allow him to earn the money in the original deal. And he’s going to start squawking with three years left? A guy who talks about his faith and Christianity getting him through? Just once I want to see one of these guys recognize how fortunate they are, that they are NOT _entitled_ to millions upon millions of dollars, and acknowledge that aspect of the Christian walk that recognizes that all bounty comes from His grace. I’ll always believe that an honorable man will fulfill their obligations (contracts), but particularly with Winslow… after how the Browns have taken care of him in spite of how reckless and careless he was… it just makes me sick.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
“What they fail to mention is that after each productive season he’s had to go in for surgery, on the same knee.”
Surgery that is the direct result of self-inflicted injuries because he was pulling wheelies and endo’s on his motorcycle in a parking lot.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Another one of the Rosenwhorehaus puppets.
When is the league going to do something about this cancer agent?
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I agree that its too early to give Winslow a raise. He has had 2 real good seasons but the first two were lost due to his motorcycle nonsense. The Brown stuck with him so he should repay the loyalty by honoring the contract. I am sure if he had another good year the Browns would give him an extension. He has had 2 lost years and 2 very good ones. Lets let the 5th year decide whether he deserves a big money deal
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I think that everyone is forgetting… Winslow isn’t a “soldier” he’s a “f___in’ soldier”. I’m sure there is some sort of important difference.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Just a minor correction regarding Winslow’s pay while he was hurt. From what I remember since he was on the non-football injury list after his motercycle accident, he did not get paid any salary for his second year. Also the Browns didn’t pay him any of the bonus $$ he was supposed to get that year either. So his absence didn’t hurt the Browns financially.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
vrooom vrooom….. boink!!!!
what a brainiac.
how can phil savage take a chance and tie up
future cap room on a person that has not shown
any common sense in the past.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Before I get beat up any more here, heh, my bad for forgetting about last years pro bowl. I stand humbled. Interesting thought thrown here that Winslow and Rosenhaus are potentially worried that Winslow’s knee won’t hold up for another six years.
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Rating: Not yet rated
June 4th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
This kid has some nerve, but then again he IS a GODD#MN SOLDIER.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
June 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Hey guys,
Can someone remind Shackman that Winslow was in the Probowl?
Thanks!
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 3 rating(s)