Jason Campbell expected to be released
Cleveland Browns quarterback Jason Campbell (17) looks to pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second half at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns will be drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and it would be a surprise if they didn’t pull “their guy” off the board with the fourth pick in the draft. There is no doubt in my mind that Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater is still the premier passer in this draft class despite the love for Johnny Manziel and his raw upside, but the fact of the matter is that Bridgewater will almost certainly be taken before the Browns are on the clock. Blake Bortles is also expected to be pulled before the Browns pick, and it looks like Manziel and Fresno State’s rocket-armed Derek Carr are the likely candidates to be the Browns franchise QBs. But if the Browns are really sold on a guy, it wouldn’t surprise me if they made a trade with the St. Louis Rams, who are most likely desperate to get out of the second spot, and drafted whichever QB the Houston Texans pass up on.
I wrote a column on the site a couple of days ago about how the Browns need to rest the quarterback they select in the draft, unless if it is Bridgewater or- perhaps- Bortles, but I neglected one key thing in my analysis of the Browns quarterback situation. While I am not backing down on my overall premise due to the presence of veteran Brian Hoyer, I did fail to realize that Jason Campbell most likely won’t be a member of the Browns organization next season.
According to ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi, the Browns will likely cut ties with Campbell, because he is set to make $3.25 million next season as a backup and is a prime candidate for release. $3.25 million is too much for a backup QB, especially since Hoyer is better. I saw that Campbell’s contract, like Hoyer’s, ends after the 2014 season, but I didn’t see the note that Campbell played enough to trigger an escalator that significantly raises his salary to the point where it isn’t worth keeping him on the roster.