NFL Rumors: Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam hints he will match any offer for Alex Mack
By Josh Hill
The NFL Draft is right around the corner and while the Cleveland Browns hold a top pick in the first-round, they remain focused on trying to re-sign center Alex Mack and make sure that he’s anchoring their offensive line in 2014. But while the team would like to bring Mack back, contract talks have been slow and the team is in danger of watching their Pro Bowler sign a fat offer sheet with another team.
Owner Jimmy Haslam didn’t directly state the Browns plans should that happen, but he did make it sound like the team is up for matching any offer that Mack gets, no matter the price.
Per the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
"“We remain optimistic that Alex Mack will be a Cleveland Brown for a long time,” Haslam said on the “orange carpet” at the local premiere of Draft Day at Cinemark Valley View theaters. “We want him to be. I think we’ve made it very clear that he’s the kind of person, the kind of player we want in our organization.’"
The Browns need players like Mack if they want to be good in 2014 and the only way they’ll do that is if they continue to bust out the checkbook. He’s a Pro Bowl center, a rare thing in the NFL and the Browns will have to pay a premium if they want to keep him around.