Free Agent Bargain: Browns LB Jordan Hicks
The Cleveland Browns and general manager Andrew Berry have been building a winner since 2020. In that time, they’ve won 11 games twice, making the playoffs in both seasons.
A lot has been made about the trade for receiver Jerry Jeudy, or the Amari Cooper contract situation, and probably most of all the Deshaun Watson trade.
Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) reacts in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
But one move this offseason is being lauded as the free agency bargain of the year.
Berry has already built one of the most dominant defenses in the league, but picking up linebacker Jordan Hicks from the Minnesota Vikings has drawn applause from Pro Football Network.
“The Browns have high-priced players along their defensive line and in their secondary and could soon hand a long-term extension to LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, so Cleveland had to go relatively cheap at its LB2 spot,” PFN writes.
“Hicks signed for $8 million over two years but only received $4.5 million guaranteed, making this a de facto single-season pact with a 2025 option.”
Hicks, who just turned 32, had season-ending surgery on his shin to relieve the effects of compartment syndrome that could have claimed his leg. In just 13 games last season, he totaled 107 tackles, just 22 shy of his career high of 129 in 2022.
If Hicks is healthy, pairing him with Owusu-Koramoah in the middle creates a formidable pair for offenses to contend with.
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