Edwards leaves Browns camp without contract
Edwards leaves Browns camp without contract
<!-- end pagetitle --> <!-- begin bylinebox --><!-- end bylinebox --><!-- begin text11 div --><!-- begin leftcol --> <!-- template inline --> BEREA, Ohio --
Braylon Edwards came and went.
Less than three hours after arriving at Cleveland's headquarters Wednesday to apparently finalize his contract, the rookie wide receiver and his agent bolted after negotiations with the Browns broke down. <!-- 2 grafs from Clayton --> Edwards' camp disagreed with the Browns' wanted him to sign away some of his rights to marketing money, ESPN.com's John Clayton reported.
The team wanted Edwards to give the Browns first right of refusal on the marketing of his name and image, according to Clayton. Leigh Steinberg, agent for 2004 Steelers first-round pick Ben Roethlisberger, said Wednesday on ESPN2 that his client earned $4.5 million in sponsorship money during his first year in the league.
Edwards and agent Lamont Smith drove away in a three-car caravan without finishing a deal that looked all but done.
"You don't have a deal until you have a deal," said Smith, sitting in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by Edwards' father, Stan. "We're leaving Cleveland."
<!-- 2 grafs from Clayton --> Edwards, a colorful receiver with a great personality, believes a good rookie season could net him a lot of sponsorship deals, and he and his family are not willing to give up those rights. The team had been discussing the idea of having him agree to an additional personal service contract throughout negotiations.
Edwards kept saying no, so the Browns and Smith spent several hours each day working on the financial aspects of a contract. On Tuesday night, Edwards agreed to a five-year deal that could be worth $40 million if he hits all the incentives and escalators. Included in the deal was $18.5 million in guarantees.
It all looked so positive when Edwards, the No. 3 overall draft pick from Michigan, walked into the players' entrance, escorted into the building by his mother, Malesa Plater.
At the time, the Browns were working out in the club's indoor facility, pushed inside by an afternoon thunderstorm.
About 30 minutes before Edwards' arrival, Smith showed up to presumably work through some final details of a contract he had been optimistic about completing 10 days ago.
But whatever Smith and Edwards learned during their short stay, they must not have liked.
Edwards was not available for comment. He stayed inside his vehicle, which was at the front of the entourage. Smith only stopped when reporters surrounded his car in front of the driveway leading into the team's complex.
"We were close," Smith said when asked what had gone wrong. "We just don't have an agreement on all terms."
Smith said he wasn't departing on bad terms.
"No, it's business," he said. "It's part of the process."
Smith wasn't sure when talks with the Browns would resume.
"I don't know. We'll just have to see when the club is available," he said. "We just don't have anything set yet."
Stan Edwards said he and his son were returning to Detroit, their hometown.
"We don't have an agreement," Browns spokesman Bill Bonsiewicz said. "We're still talking with them."
Bonsiewicz said Smith and the club were in contact following Edwards' departure
Double reverse: Edwards, Browns Finalize Deal
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Associated Press
Posted: 9 minutes ago <!-- Meta Tag For Search --> <!-- meta name="author" content=""--> <!-- meta name="source" content="AP"--> <!-- meta name="eventId" content=""--> <!-- meta name="contentTypeCode" content="1"--> <!-- meta name="editorContentCode" content="1"--> <!-- meta name="blurb" content="Rookie wide receiver Braylon Edwards agreed to terms on a five-year contract late Wednesday night with the Cleveland Browns, ending his holdout and a bizarre day of negotiations. Edwards, the No. 3 overall pick, will sign his contract on Thursday and practice with the Browns for the first time, a person within the league told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity."--> <!-- meta name="modDate" content="August 11, 2005 03:41:08 GMT"--> <script> // front-end hack to remove postedTime from Rumors page until a better way can be determined if (document.URL.indexOf("/name/FS/rumors") != -1) document.getElementById("postedTime").style.display = 'none'; </script> </td> <td width="10"> </td> <td align="right"> <!--this is for sponsorships or brandings--> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="right"> <tbody><tr> <td><!-- workingCategoryId: 5-->
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BEREA, Ohio (AP) - Rookie wide receiver Braylon Edwards agreed to terms on a five-year contract late Wednesday night with the Cleveland Browns, ending his holdout and a bizarre day of negotiations.
Edwards, the No. 3 overall pick, will sign his contract on Thursday and practice with the Browns for the first time, a person within the league told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.The source asked to remain unidentified due to the sensitivity of the negotiations between the Browns and agent Lamont Smith.
It appeared Edwards would sign his deal hours earlier after arriving at the team's headquarters, but things took a strange turn as he and Smith bolted after negotiations hit a snag.
The pair, along with Edwards' parents and other family members, drove away in a three-car caravan without finishing the deal.
"You don't have a deal until you have a deal," Smith, sitting in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by Edwards' father, Stan, said at about 6:30 p.m. "We're leaving Cleveland."
They didn't get far as Smith stayed in touch with the club and was able to complete a contract that could pay Edwards nearly $20 million in guaranteed money.
Smith and the Browns had exchanged as many as seven proposals while struggling to find common ground. The sides have been hung up on, among other things, the contract's length, maximum value and guaranteed money.
In the past few days, they've been discussing a five-year package - a concession to a request by Smith.
Following practice, Browns coach Romeo Crennel was aware that Edwards and his agent were in the building. And like everyone else, Crennel figured a signing was imminent.
"To my knowledge, no contract has been signed," Crennel said. "Maybe they're still working that out."
Once he signs, Edwards, who was supposed to report on July 25 with the club's other rookies, will be required to pass a conditioning test of several 300-yard shuttle runs.
"He should be able to run it right now," Crennel said. "If he can't, he hasn't been working out enough."
Crennel was asked what his first words for Edwards will be.
"I'll tell him, 'Go run,"' Crennel said.
While he's been absent, the Browns have installed a big chunk of the offense they'll use this season. Edwards is even further behind after missing the club's minicamp in June because of a family funeral and injury.
Crennel is confident Edwards will eventually catch up.
"He's going to get acclimated," he said. "It's just going to take a little time, but it's going to happen. It could very well take him a full year because he has missed this much camp. He's going to learn. The guy is going to be a good player, but it's going to take time.
"It's not going to happen tomorrow."
The Browns open their exhibition season Saturday night at home against the New York Giants, but Crennel said he would wait to see what kind of shape Edwards was in before deciding if he'll play.
As for Edwards' two-week holdout, Crennel said it wasn't a distraction.
"If I didn't have any receivers who I thought could play, maybe then it would be a distraction. But I've got some guys who can play," he said. "That's football. This is the NFL. Guys hold out. Guys walk out. And you have to deal with it."
Edwards, who nearly jumped to the NFL following his junior season, finished with 252 career receptions, 3,542 yards and 39 TDs with the Wolverines. Last season, he won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top wideout and was the Big Ten's offensive player of the year.
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