Cleveland Browns: Terrelle Pryor’s Departure Feels Increasingly Likely

We haven’t even begun the free-agent process, but it’s already looking likely that Cleveland Browns wideout Terrelle Pryor will be playing elsewhere in 2017.

The Cleveland Browns knew that by not giving 2016 breakout receiver Terrelle Pryor the franchise tag, they’d risk losing him on the open market this offseason. “We understand that means he’s effectively a free agent,” Browns executive Sashi Brown said of the decision, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Browns fans, though, have been holding out hope that Pryor will return to the team in 2017. He is one of the few internal success stories the Browns have really had over the past few years, and retaining him would be huge.

Cleveland gave the former quarterback a chance to start at receiver, and Pryor responded with a 1,000-yard season. Letting him go would be another case of grooming a player for success and them allowing him to find it elsewhere.

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Fans have seen this story play out many times before—center Alex Mack, safety Tashaun Gipson, wideout Taylor Gabriel and tackle Mitchell Schwartz are recent examples. The reason for hope is that Pryor has a connection with Browns coach Hue Jackson—who coached him with the Oakland Raiders—and seems genuinely interested in playing for Cleveland. The problem is that, once the “legal tampering” period begins on March 7, Pryor is going to start getting other offers.

Sure, the Browns could use this to set Pryor’s value before giving him a long-term deal, but it’s incredibly risky. Cabot has reported that the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles are all already showing interest in acquiring the Ohio State product. With the exception of the 49ers, these teams offer Pryor a more stable quarterback situation and likely a better chance to win now. Maybe Pryor will wait to see if the Browns are able to upgrade their quarterback situation, but it seems unlikely.

In addition, Pryor’s Agent, Drew Rosenhaus is likely to view money as a motivating factor. Rosenhaus just got Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown a four-year, $68 million deal and will now be looking to get Pryor paid.

Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland had hoped that the Browns and Rosenhaus would be able to get a deal done at the NFL Scouting Combine, but nothing has materialized:

There’s a very real chance that, if Pryor isn’t under contract by the time other teams can contact Rosenhaus, the Browns will be saying goodbye.

If Pryor gets an offer from a team that can deliver him playoff opportunities, the Browns would likely have to overpay in order to keep him. This doesn’t seem like a move an analytics-driven front office that heavily values draft picks and cap space would make. If it was, the Browns would have likely handed Pryor the franchise tag and then began working on a long-term deal.

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Unless something dramatically changes over the next couple days, Browns fans may be forced to watch another homegrown talent blossom elsewhere.