The Agreement Browns and Andrew Berry Would Like to Reclaim.

GM Andrew Berry and the Browns may look back on one particular contract as they try to manage a hefty salary cap bill as the team begins an offseason of unavoidable change.

One of the main issues confronting Browns general manager and vice president of football operations Andrew Berry this offseason will be navigating an increasing salary cap burden.

The unfortunate aspect of creating a playoff squad is that it gets harder and harder to hold onto every player, sometimes even starting lineup staples. These days, a team may extend a Super Bowl window with a variety of cunning cap tricks, but those aren’t easy to copy and paste for every deal. Every agreement with a player is distinct from the others, and some can be manipulated more easily than others to save money on caps.

Berry will have to go over those specifics. And there’s a deal he’s probably going to find out he regrets as he spends the upcoming weeks searching for ways to balance Cleveland’s book.

The veteran right tackle Jack Conklin was rewarded by the Browns in December 2022 with a four-year, $60 million contract deal after the former Titan appeared in 14 games despite suffering a knee injury that ended his season. Even yet, the injuries from a year earlier ought to have raised suspicions.

In 2023, the trade nearly immediately became problematic after Conklin suffered an ACL and MCL tear in his left knee during the Browns’ season opener. With two major knee surgeries in three years, the approaching 30-year-old lineman would now receive more than $28 million in guaranteed money over the following four years from the organization.

The sudden appearance of youngster Dawand Jones, who would be Conklin’s replacement for the rest of the season, further muddled the choice. On the one hand, Jones was a fifth-round pick, so nobody really anticipated his rapid rise to prominence. However, it was quite clear from the start that he could hold his own as one of the offensive line’s bookends after replacing Conklin in Week 1. Regretfully, Jones suffered a knee injury just before Week 15, which ended his season. The difference is that, coming into next season, Jones is a lot more cheap and younger player.

Cleveland would be disappointed if they could rescind Conklin’s contract. In a perfect scenario, Conklin would be a great candidate to be released this offseason due to cap savings, as their contribution on the field is not worth the cap savings. Berry can’t do that in this case, either, as it would expose the Browns to a $21.9 million dead cap charge that would either be added to the salary cap for the upcoming season or divided over two seasons’ worth of bookkeeping at $7 million and $14 million per.

The earliest Cleveland may choose to move on from Conklin in order to save $15 million—while still having to pay $10 million in dead cap charges—will be following the 2025 season. After the 2026 season, there is an even better out that would only cost the Brown $4.4 million and offer $15 million in cap relief.

In contrast, Jones should only cost slightly more than $1 million every season for the next three.

Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, and while Berry and his staff should take some of the blame for agreeing to the agreement, they should also be commended for making contact with Jones—especially considering that he was a later-round prospect. Furthermore, a scenario can play out in which Conklin becomes the team’s starting right tackle the following season after recovering from a season-ending knee injury, and the organization chooses to waive 2020 first-round selection Jedrick Wills. In that case, the issue might be resolved by shifting Jones to the left side of the offensive line. If it occurs, then maybe none of this matters. However, there are a lot of “what ifs” in that.