3 Offseason Moves That Could Backfire on Browns

The Cleveland Browns start the offseason with heightened expectations. After overachieving in the 2023 campaign and making the postseason despite dealing with a ton of injuries, Browns fans expect one step further next year.

With that objective in mind, general manager Andrew Berry made a slew of offseason moves. Retaining key free agents was the most important thing and the Browns mostly achieved that goal. There have been, however, a few risky moves that could backfire on Cleveland next season. Let's take a look.

3. Giving Jerry Jeudy a Contract Extension

The Browns desperately needed more playmakers in their receiver corps. With limited cap space, they chose to trade for one and acquired former Alabama standout Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos.

The trade itself is a worthy flyer on a talented pass-catcher who understandably struggled in the inconsistent quarterback play in Denver.

The contract extension that followed, however, was a bit of a head-scratcher. An extension was obviously to be expected as Jeudy was entering the final year of his rookie contract, but few were expecting a three-year, $58 million extension. The deal has $41 million guaranteed on the books.

This likely isn't going to be much of an issue for the Browns for the 2024 season but it could hamstring their financial flexibility going forward. It is a big risk for a team with already risky contracts for the next few seasons.