The train you hear barreling down the track of the NFL offseason is the start of the league year with legal tampering and NFL free agency. While the NFL draft always gets a ton of attention, free agency and trades hit the league like a locomotive. Debris in the way of released players, contract restructures, and reported trades have already made it ahead of the main event that starts on Monday.
For the Cleveland Browns, a new head coach with new coordinators could lead to some interesting changes in free agency. A few of our free agent profiles have been about safeties, as there is some uncertainty about how current FS Ronnie Hickman fits with the possible changes on defense.
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An undrafted free agent, Hickman was set for restricted free agency, but the Browns needed to put a tender on him and decide at what level they would place that tender. On Friday, GM Andrew Berry reportedly gave Hickman the second-round tender, worth $5.8 million for one season.
Hickman started all 17 games last season, contributing 103 tackles, seven passes defended, two interceptions, and one tackle for loss.
The next steps and options for both the Browns and Hickman are as follows:
Hickman could sign the tender immediately
After making a total of $2.7 million combined in his first three seasons, Hickman could sign the tender as quickly as he can to lock down over double his career earnings for just next season.
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Negotiate a long-term deal
The $5.8 million provides a starting point for Hickman’s fourth season in the league, but his agents are likely to demand more for a young starting safety. The two sides could hammer this out even if Hickman signs the tender quickly.
Look for another team in restricted free agency to sign him
The most unlikely option is that Hickman’s agency finds a team that is willing to sign him to a long-term deal at a rate that Cleveland would not match and give the Browns a second-round pick to pay Hickman that larger than expected contract. Anything is possible, especially with the amount of money required to be spent this offseason, but this option is unlikely
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Browns can revoke the tender at anytime before it is signed
While it doesn’t happen often, at times teams and players will not be on the same page about value, or the team will find a suitable replacement in free agency or a trade, leading to the team removing the tender from the player and making them an unrestricted free agent. This path seems unlikely for Hickman, but possible depending on how negotiations go and how the offseason progresses.