Cleveland Browns, Jamie Collins to Get Deal Done Soon

Jamie Collins had to adapt to a drastic change, going from the New England Patriots to the Cleveland Browns. The the outside linebacker just might stay awhile.

The New England Patriots traded outside linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns last season. He was starting to ask for money and if you’re not Tom Brady, that’s against the rules. So that trade was his punishment for breaking the rules.

He would have to endure the ultimate culture shock of going from a perennial contender to a loser. But once he got to that losing team, Collins started to set his own rules. And Rule No. 1 is that he would only re-sign with the Browns “if the money was right.

The 2013 second-round pick is among the premier 4-3 outside linebackers in the NFL. He has 12.5 sacks and five interceptions over his four-year career. So he knows someone would be willing to give him that big contract that he’s after.

But the Browns didn’t make that trade with the Patriots just to let him walk away. They are armed and dangerous with this thing called a franchise tag. But now, the Browns are close to finalizing a multi-year contract with him so it looks like it won’t come to that.

NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported Wednesday that the deal will be done by the weekend. The Browns are making the switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 next season so locking Collins up is important. As we all know, the Browns have the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.

They also have the No. 12 overall pick to build themselves a defense!