Cribbs Contract Drama: Which Side is Right?

Josh Cribbs, returner extraordinaire, has become the latest distraction for the Cleveland Browns. Seeking a new contract, he now is a no-show at the voluntary mini-camp being conducted this week at the team’s training facility in Berea, Ohio.

Any time a player asks for a new contract before his current one expires, I get a headache. This headache usually starts right between my eyes, shooting deep into the forehead and progressing down into my neck.

The Cribbs’ situation is a tricky one because he is holding the current front office to promises made by the former front office. To make matters even trickier, he is claiming team owner Randy Lerner also was in on the promises of more cash.

I’m of two minds on this. In short, Cribbs signed a six-year contract–he should live up to it. No one held a gun to his head. But then again, nothing is guaranteed in NFL contracts and he has every right to want paid now, lest a week one injury end his career.

Cribbs is two years into his six-year, $6.7 million contract extension signed in November 2006. His base salaries over the next four years are $620,000, $635,000, $650,000 and $790,000.

It’s also important to note Cribbs signed his current deal with a different agent. Any time a player gets a new agent, they want a new contract since the new agent doesn’t get paid until a new contract is signed. It’s motivation for the agent, but hell on front offices.

A point of reference for any new contract is Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester's four-year, $40 million extension with $15 million guaranteed. That’s a big contract, and it’s one Browns general manager George Kokinis likely isn’t willing to match.

Remember, you have to think of this in the context of spoiled rich athletes with a sense of entitlement the size of Ohio. They don’t care that the economy is in the tank or that millions of people are out of work and would love to be earning 1/10 of his salary.

This is all about Josh Cribbs looking out for Josh Cribbs. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not convenient for management or a desperate fan base.

Continuing with the relatively small world of an NFL player, there are several things to take into account before saying, “Just another rich athlete demanding more money.”

First of all, the average NFL career is only about five years. If you’re lucky, you’ll get 10 years. Very rarely, you’ll have a player go for 15 years.  But it’s well known that the wear and tear of the NFL season tend to burn out these guys in a relatively small amount of time.

That kind of burnout is even more prevalent for kick returners. Special teams players have some of the shortest lifespans in the league, typically only a few years before they’re either too injured to continue, or change positions in order preserve what they have left.

So if Cribbs is demanding to be paid NOW, who am I to say he shouldn’t be getting that huge paycheck? Cribbs will turn 26 on June 9 and is entering his fifth year in the league. Given the situation it is reasonable for Cribbs to ask for a new contract now.

On the flipside, it is reasonable for Kokinis to say “no,” now because of the very same factors. In fact, the team has the option of terminating his contract today and not paying him another cent. Turnabout is fair play in contract negotiations.

There’s also the matter of whether or not Lerner called Cribbs and re-affirmed former general manager Phil Savage’s promise to renegotiate the contract. The Browns are claiming this phone call never happened, and Cribbs is just as adamant it did happen –even citing phone records to back up his case.

This latest turn now in the power struggle has Cribbs reportedly demanding a trade if a new contract can’t be worked out.

Wonderful. Talk like that just picks a Browns fan up in the morning. Would you like some spoiled milk with that dirtburger we were just served?

Now let’s add a few more talking points, because the situation just doesn’t seem complicated enough.

1. There’s no doubt Savage made a promise to Cribbs.
2. Kokinis obviously feels no obligation to live up to somebody else’s promises.
3. Cribbs is invoking the owner.
4. We are now officially locked in a good, old-fashioned game of chicken.

From management’s standpoint, Cribbs has performed well in the past, but “What have you done for me lately?” seems to be the message coming from Kokinis. If Cribbs can perform well under the new regime, Kokinis would be more likely to make a deal with him.

Cribbs is (rightly) stating he’s outperformed his contract, was promised a bigger paycheck and intends on cashing in. If the Browns don’t like that, he’ll just demand a trade.

Cribbs is in a unique situation in that his only frame of reference around the league is Hester. That kind of talent will bring interest from other teams around the league, meaning if the Browns decide to hold firm, they can potentially get great value out of Cribbs.

When you consider how little his salary actually is in comparison to other position players, Cribbs becomes an even greater commodity, even with his contract demands.

The downside is he’s slated to play both sides of the ball. He even told the media last week he’s been attending both offensive and defensive meetings. He also is very popular with the fan base, but how much, if at all, that is taken into account is unknown.

By making these demands now, and going public with them, the idea definitely is to put pressure on the front office. Kokinis must be careful how he handles this situation. The wrong move could cause a fallout resulting in a lot of unhappy players.

Kokinis held firm with Shaun Rogers earlier this year and things worked out fine. The difference, though, was the Browns held ALL the cards in that negotiation. Rogers went into that situation holding nothing and hoping no one would call his bluff.

Cribbs is playing with a little more on his side since getting rid of him wouldn’t cause the kind of cap hit Rogers’ departure would have, but he still isn’t playing with pocket Aces.

Other players are looking for new contracts going into this season, and you can bet they’ll be paying very close attention to how this plays out.

Also, let’s not forget Mangini in all of this. Mangini very much believes that anything that happens off the field should remain “internal business.” Mangini already has stated this several times in regard to other players.

Mangini also is very clear about not talking to the media about anything at any time. This directive was put into place for the entire organization on day one, probably before he had his first cup of coffee.

With Cribbs airing his grievance publically, it will put him in Mangini’s dog house. Even if a contract gets worked out, you can bet Mangini will not let Cribbs off the hook for taking things “outside the family.”

Cribbs ultimately hopes to get a better contract out of this, but what he hoped to gain inside the locker room by publically defying his coach is a mystery. Add Cribbs’ hometown roots with Cleveland–which you hope would amount to a hometown discount–and you can see this as a reminder that even though football is a sport, to the players this is all about business.

Once again Browns fans are looking at a team in turmoil and wondering when it’s all going to come together and bring a Lombardi Trophy to Cleveland.