Brady Quinn, Browns agree on 5-year deal By JOE MILICIA, Associated Press Writer

Brady Quinn, Browns agree on 5-year deal By JOE MILICIA, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 48 minutes ago



BEREA, Ohio - Quarterback Brady Quinn has agreed to a five-year contract with the Cleveland Browns, ending an 11-day holdout that essentially eliminated his chances to begin the season as the team's starter.

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Quinn was flying to the Browns' headquarters Tuesday to sign the deal, Browns general manager Phil Savage said. The contract's language was still being finalized.

The deal, worth $20.2 million, with $7.75 million guaranteed, could reach $30 million over five years with incentives.

The deal was first reported by Foxsports.com.

Quinn's absence has all but ensured he will not win the Browns' starting job, which has become a two-man contest between Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson.

"It's unfortunate that it took this long to get done," Savage said. "I feel like it's a deal that we potentially could have done at the start of camp."

Quinn, a four-year starter at Notre Dame, was projected as a top 10 pick in April's draft. When he slipped deeper into the first round, the Browns traded a 2008 first-round pick to Dallas and selected the Ohio native and childhood Browns fan at No. 22.

The major sticking points in negotiations between the Browns and agent Tom Condon were escalator clauses based on playing time for Quinn, who has been working out in Arizona.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel coldly referred to Quinn as "the quarterback" and not by name during the holdout.

Crennel continued to refer to him that way Tuesday.

"We're going to put him at the bottom of the chart and see where he is," Crennel said. "We'll let him compete, but I'm not putting him on the first team tomorrow."

The Browns have only two practices before their first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday in Cleveland.

Condon proposed to allow Quinn to get a $5 million increase in the final two years of a potential five-year deal if he takes 55 percent of the snaps in any two of the first three years or 70 percent in any one of the first three. The Browns wanted to make the triggers tougher to reach.

Quinn was seeking $8 million in guaranteed money, roughly the same amount that the No. 20 pick, cornerback Aaron Ross, got from the New York Giants.

Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell (No. 1 overall) and New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (No. 14) are the only first-round picks without contracts.