The Browns added a big piece to their defense when they signed security John johnson last week, and they apparently faced fierce competition for their services.
Johnson declined “significantly more money” from another team to sign the Browns, his agents told Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. He was clearly very excited about the prospect of playing for this Browns rookie team, which is coming out of its best season in decades. It is a sign of how much the times have changed that players are now taking less money to sign with the Browns as a free agency destination.
Imagine if someone had told you this a few years ago. Johnson signed a three-year, $ 33.75 MM pact with the Browns, which included a guaranteed $ 24 MM, and was arguably the best security on the market after guys like Justin Simmons, Marcus Maye, and Marcus Williams all have franchises marked by their respective teams.
Johnson’s $ 11.25 million AAV has him as the eighth highest-paid security player in the NFL today. Just before he signed with Cleveland, we heard that Lions, Eagles and Jaguars were chasing him, so it is possible that it was one of those teams that offered him the biggest contract.
The Rams chose not to mark him for financial reasons, but Johnson has been a very good player since joining the league as a third round pick in 2017. He played every snap for the Los Angeles defense that was the best in the league last season, and will not be 26 until December. Johnson will start next to any 2020 second-round pick Grant Delpit or Ronnie Harrison in 2021.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.