The Cleveland Browns are no strangers to losing, so it shouldn’t be a surprise if the roster loses Alex Mack, one of its best players, during the offseason.
A three-time Pro Bowler, the starting center has a clause in his contract that allows him to opt out of his current deal and become an unrestricted free agent.
“I will say that winning is really important to me,” Mack said, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
That is, shall we say, not promising news for the Browns.
Since Mack entered the league in 2009 as the franchise’s first-round pick, the Browns are 33-77. Only once has a Cleveland team managed more than five wins with Mack on the roster.
During each of his first six seasons, Mack finished as a top-1o-rated center according to ProFootballFocus (subscription required). That includes 2014, where he missed 11 games because of a broken leg. Mack has struggled through an average 2015 campaign, but he’ll definitely be a sought-after center.
The veteran will have plenty of suitors in free agency, and Mack should at least test the market. Teams like the 11-3 Cincinnati Bengals and 12-2 Arizona Cardinals could use an upgrade at center.
Mack could bolt for either of those clubs, which are Super Bowl contenders in 2015 and should be for another couple seasons. Considering he’d leave the losing ways of Cleveland behind, it would be hard to blame Mack.