Could Osi Umenyiora Be Headed to the Cleveland Browns?

Veteran pass rusher Osi Umenyiora plans to hold out in order to renegotiate his current contract (six years, $42 million) with the New York Giants, and as players reported to Giants training facilities on Friday, July 29, Umenyiora was not among them.  

The Giants find themselves in a bind as they attempt to re-sign and solidify crucial pieces of their roster.  

Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent, and fellow running back Brandon Jacobs just restructured his contract. Wide receiver Steve Smith and defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka were both labeled as important pieces to address during the 2011 free agency period.

Now the Giants need to plan for life after Umenyiora.

Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and the freshly re-signed Mathias Kiwanuka could provide a strong pass rush in the absence of Umenyiora, who has spent significant time on the sidelines with injuries over the past five seasons.

However, Umenyiora has started all 16 games each of the past three seasons and is coming off a rebound season in terms of production, recording 11.5 sacks (good for seventh in the league) and producing 10 forced fumbles. He also ranked ninth in QB pressures with 48.5 QB disruptions, 18 QB hits and 19 QB hurries.  

His 2010 stats are very comparable to those of Jason Babin, the newly signed defensive end of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Does Umenyiora make sense for the Cleveland Browns?

The presence of Umenyiora on the outside is a constant fixture in the minds of both quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. Consequently, the matchups created by Umenyiora’s presence will favor Browns rookie defensive end Jabaal Sheard.

Now, is it possible, and what would it take to lure the Giants into parting ways with him?  

Don’t get me wrong, I value the importance of draft picks, and I am a strong believer in the process of building a team through the draft.

However, the Browns defensive line is void of a true veteran presence to help the unit grow. That, combined with the Browns’ need for help in the pass rush and to add salary to reach the salary floor, is significant.

Are the Browns interested? At 29 years old, Umenyiora still has gallons of explosiveness left in the tank. Factor in the gaping hole opposite of Jabaal Sheard on the defensive line, and the question becomes rhetorical.

What will it take to get him?

The Browns are sitting pretty for the 2012 NFL draft, currently in possession of two first-round picks as well as two fourth-round picks. Any package aimed at acquiring Umenyiora should be evaluated and only include mid- and/or late-round draft picks.  

Browns management should not rush, and they have given no indication that they will.

They should let Umenyiora put the Giants in a bind: The longer this takes, the less and less Umenyiora will be worth in trade value.
 
What do the Browns offer?  

Start low.  

A fifth-round pick and/or the conditional pick received from Denver in the Brady Quinn trade contingent upon agreement on an incentive-laden contract with Umenyiora is necessary before anyone will pull the trigger on this deal.
 
An unhappy superstar is not likely to come to Cleveland without prior assurances that his contract will be restructured.

When negotiating a contract, a deal similar to those of Ray Edwards and Jason Babin, with low guaranteed money (roughly $10 million) and many incentives included for superior play, is ideal.

With something to prove following the fallout in New York, Umenyiora may just exceed the base contract and earn those incentives.

As general manager Tom Heckert learned when he signed offensive tackle Stacy Andrews to a large contract, performance and incentive clauses in contracts for veterans are a must. Following a season-ending injury after the big, $7-million-per-year deal, Andrews restructured his contract due to diminished performance related to the injury.

Andrews was also 29 when Heckert acquired him for the Eagles in 2009.

Is Umenyiora worth the risk?

Given the Browns’ other options, the impact of Umenyiora on the overall game plan, and the possibility of acquiring him for late-round draft picks, I say, emphatically, "Yes."
 

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