Browns Extending RFA Tenders Pressures Players To Sign Before June 10 Minicamp

News out of Cleveland Browns headquarters is that the Browns have extended their restricted free agent (RFA) tenders to their unsigned RFAs until June 15, according to reports by Cleveland.com.

This latest extension is very intriguing because the Browns have put all the pressure on the unsigned players to step up, and sign their deal before the mandatory June 10-12 mini-camp unless there could be fines issued to no-shows.

Currently, there are reportedly only 37 RFAs left (as of June 3) unsigned in the NFL, and the Browns have the most at five—all of which started for the Browns in 2009.

Linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Matt Roth want a long-term deal along with safety Abram Elam. Roth even told the media he wants to be traded if he cannot get a long-term deal, but general manager Tom Heckert shot that request down be saying no one is getting traded.

Running back Jerome Harrison has been quiet, and has not said anything along with fullback Lawrence Vickers. But Harrison has stepped up and showed up for organized team activities (which are voluntary), most likely due to all the praise that rookie running back Montario Hardesty has been receiving thus far.

Regardless if they want a long-term deal or not, the way the NFL works is once an old front office regime promises something to a specific player—that promise is null and void when that regime leaves no matter what.

This is the case with Jackson, who was promised a multi-year deal. He and the rest of the RFAs need to just sign their tender and play the 2010 season for a chance at a long-term deal for the 2011 season and beyond.

Prove yourself period.

Cribbs did it over a two-year span after broken promises of a new deal and he only got better over that span. He finally got paid at the beginning of this year. The Browns probably would have saved money on Cribbs' contract had they just given him a deal prior to the 2009 season. But sometimes when you wait, that player only gets better, and costs more, as is Cribbs' case.

The Browns hold all the cards in this matter and the tricky part is that extending the tender date to June 15, puts these unsigned players at risk of getting fined and losing more money if they do not attend mandatory camp from June 10-12.

After the June 15, the Browns can offer only a 10-percent increase to each player's 2009 salary, which would be nearly $1 million less than the tender offers that are currently issued or make the RFA an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any other team.

Obviously, the Browns do not want to lose any of these veteran players who are instrumental in rebuilding this roster regardless of what you may think. (The Browns are better with them, then without them.)

Holding out for a long-term deal will do more damage than help, to each players' cause of getting a long-term deal. Most, if not all of them, will be signed by the start of camp on June 10 because they will not want to get fined and/or forfeit nearly $1 million in 2010. They also will not want to tarnish their image by holding out completely.

The next few weeks will be very interesting for the Browns and their RFAs—who will sign and who will go?

(Also posted on Dawg Scooper: THE Cleveland Browns Blog.)