Browns make really big offer to Winslow

 

By TOM WITHERS

Associated Press

Posted July 30 2004, 2:55 PM EDT

 

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns want to make rookie Kellen Winslow Jr. the highest paid tight end in NFL history.

 

The club has offered Winslow, the No. 6 overall pick in last April's draft, a contract that would exceed the $31 million deal Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez signed before the 2002 season. Gonzalez's deal included a $10 million signing bonus, the most ever given to a tight end.

 

In an unusual move designed to put pressure on Winslow's agent, Kevin Poston, the Browns released a statement two hours before the club opened training camp to announce that they had made their ``best offer'' to the former University of Miami star. Teams almost never disclose contract figures _ even after the deal is done.

 

But the Browns publicly provided the framework for negotiations.

 

They said their deal matches the seven-year, $18 million contract safety Sean Taylor, the No. 5 overall pick and Winslow's former college teammate, signed earlier this week with the Washington Redskins.

 

Taylor received a $7.2 million signing bonus and a total package that could exceed $13 million in guaranteed compensation.

 

``Given the close personal and competitive relationship between Kellen and Sean Taylor, as well as their equal talent level on different sides of the football, we did not want to penalize Kellen for being picked one slot below his former teammate,'' Browns president John Collins said in the statement.

 

``Faced with the opportunity to get Kellen in camp on time, we made our best offer.''

 

Kevin Poston and his brother Carl have a reputation for demanding the most for their clients. The Redskins announced before the draft they would not take Winslow because he was represented by the Postons.

 

In their statement, the Browns said they examined Gonzalez's deal. It said their offer ``provides Kellen Winslow the opportunity to far exceed Gonzalez' compensation,''

 

The Browns have had negotiations with Poston all week. The sides had face-to-face negotiations on Wednesday at the team's headquarters.

 

At the time, coach Butch Davis said the club would not negotiate in the media, but that is exactly where things have gone. ``That's clearly not what we're going to do not only with Kellen, but any of the draft choices not only this year but in future years,'' Davis said earlier this week.

 

The Browns traded a second-round pick to Detroit and moved up one spot from No. 7 to No. 6 so they could select Winslow, the son of Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow.

 

Cleveland's last three first-round picks _ center Jeff Faine, running back William Green and defensive tackle Gerard Warren _ briefly held out of camp before signing.

 

The Browns fear that if Poston rejects their offer, Winslow's holdout could be lengthy.? ? ?

 

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Copyright ? 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

 

is it wrong for a UM fan to hate kellen winslow jr.? i cant stand his ass.

and it was rejected

yeah dude i know :lol

 

i read about the rejection a little bit after posting this and i laughed my ass off. that dude is so f***ing full of himself.

i hope he tears an achilles.

I wish Dallas Clark would have stayed his senior year... winslow wouldnt have had as much hype if there would have been a better TE in CF

I hope he has to go back to draft next year because the idiot couldn't agree to a deal.

What an ass.

What more can this idiot want?

He's a f***ing soldier, remember? :lol

He's a f***ing soldier, remember? :lol

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so true

 

thats a lot more money than soldiers make

I wouldn't be suprise to se him become a big time BUST!

we all shouldve seen this coming when it came out that his dad was charging agents major cash just to talk to him.

 

i never thought kellen sr. wouldve did what he did but hey this is the same guy that "needed" to be carried off the field when everyone walked off.

 

 

on a side note: 80's Conine looks like Jackie Chan.