When the Cleveland Browns placed the transition tag on Pro Bowl center Alex Mack, it was expected that they would be able to retain him for 2014 and beyond. Those expectations may be muted after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Wednesday that the Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to sign Mack to a five-year offer sheet later this week.
By Friday, Jacksonville will sign Cleveland's transition-tagged C Alex Mack to a 5-year offer sheet the Browns will have five days to match.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2014
With over $30 million left in cap room, the Jaguars can indeed make it difficult for Cleveland to match the offer. They would just have to front load as much of the deal as possible, which makes sense for multiple reasons. First off, how else are the Jaguars going to use that $30 million? Secondly, this type of contract would create salary cap flexibility moving forward.
Looking at it from an on-field perspective, Mack is one of the top centers in the NFL. He’s started all 16 games in each of his first five seasons since the Browns made him a first-round pick in 2009. Mack earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in both 2010 and 2013.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Mack graded out as the fourth-best center in the league last year. In fact, he’s been a top-10 center in the league according to their metrics each season the Cal product has been on the Browns.
Then you have this…
One reason Cleveland faces a tough decision: C Alex Mack hasn't missed a single snap in his NFL career. Not one. 5,150 out of 5,150.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 9, 2014
Adding Mack to the mix would be huge for a Jaguars team that has had itself a rather nice offseason. They would be able to team him up with free-agent acquisition Zane Beadles and 2013 first-round pick Luke Joeckel, who missed the final 11 games of his rookie campaign due to injury.
That’s a solid offensive line in front of what we have to expect will be a rookie top-round pick under center in 2014. One of the best ways to help a quarterback progress early in his career is by providing solid protection upfront. If the Jaguars are able to land Mack, they would be doing just that.
Cleveland will have five days from the time that Mack signs the offer sheet with Jacksonville to match it. The Browns are also $30 million under the cap right now, but they have to worry about locking up young stars to long-term deals.
Joe Haden is set to be a free agent following next year, while Josh Gordon, Jordan Cameron and Mitchell Schwartz have just a couple years remaining on their deals. For their part, the Jaguars don’t have anywhere near as many proven youngsters up for long-term deals in the next couple years.
Losing Mack would be a tremendous blow to one of the better offensive lines in the entire league. He has been an anchor in the trenches and will leave a gaping hole in front of new addition Ben Tate as well as whoever is under center in 2014.
All contract information provided by Spotrac
Photo: Charles LeClaire, USA Today