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With a week to go until the opening of free agency, you can add a marquee name to the list: Browns C Alex Mack.
Browns C Alex Mack is voiding the 3 years remaining on his contract and is set to become a free agent, per source. One more free agent OL.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 2, 2016
Alex Mack had 3 years, $24M remaining on deal and could once again become NFL's highest paid C. Return to Cleveland still "very possible."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 2, 2016
As Chris Pokorny explains over at Dawgs By Nature, the SB Nation community for fans of the Cleveland Browns:
It makes sense for Mack to opt out because he only had $8 million guaranteed over the final three years of his deal. That means that a serious injury in 2016 could've cost him a ton of money in the long haul. Now, with a new deal in Cleveland or somewhere else, he'll get that financial security long-term again. If he's trying to beat deals that recent centers got, he might be seeking up to a 5-year, $50 million deal with half of it guaranteed.
With the "legal tampering" period set to begin on March 7, it's fair to assume that as long as Mack doesn't sign a new deal before then that he's willing to explore the market.
Whether or not the Los Angeles Rams will be players in it...we'll see.