Cleveland Browns pro bowl center Alex Mack has been designated with the transition tag according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Browns are placing the transition tag on center Alex Mack, which will give Cleveland chance to match any offer sheet he would sign.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2014
By using transition tag instead of franchise tag on C Alex Mack, tag drops almost $1 million from over $11 million to about $10.3 million.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2014
The Browns transition tag on Alex Mack is $10M - $8M.yr is current high for any C in the NFL, and that's Khalil on a long-term deal...
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 3, 2014
The transition tag isn’t used as often as the franchise tag which pays players the average of the top five salaries at the position, the transition tag is the average of the top 10 salaries at the position.
Mack was expected to be one of the more sought after players on the open market during free agency, but it seems remote that any team will be willing to give him more than the $10 million he’ll receive in 2014 from Cleveland.
With a young roster in Cleveland and a potential rookie quarterback, keeping Mack in town would be an important signing, even if it is a one-year rental.
With Celeveland using the tag on Mack this means safety T.J. Ward will hit the open market and could be a player for Buffalo Bills free agent safety Jarius Byrd.