Browns Predicted to Make Major Move With Offensive Star

The Cleveland Browns are being predicted to make a significant move with one of their top offensive players.

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) lines up against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns have somewhat of a messy financial situation heading into 2025, and while a good chunk of that is due to Deshaun Watson's $72.9 million cap hit, there are other reasons for the Browns' shaky circumstances.

Cleveland has a handful of expensive contracts on the books for next season, one of which belongs to offensive tackle Jack Conklin.

Conklin is slated to earn $14 million in base salary next year and carries a $19.5 million cap hit. For a player who has had tremendous difficulty staying healthy since signing with the Browns in 2020, that is not exactly ideal.

That's why Zac Jackson of The Athletic is expecting Cleveland to either restructure Conklin's contract or outright release him with a post-June 1 designation. Doing so would free up around $16 million in cap space.

Conklin was expected to serve as a stalwart in the Browns' trenches when he joined the club in free agency nearly five years ago. During his debut campaign with Cleveland, it appeared he was on his way to doing just that, as he earned a First-Team All-Pro selection.

Since then, however, the 30-year-old has struggled to stay on the field, playing in a grand total of 28 games over the last four seasons.

Conklin tore his ACL in Week 1 of last year and missed the first five games of the 2024 season as a result.

When healthy, Conklin is still productive, but the Browns may prefer durability and security rather than Conklin's ceiling at this point.