Alex Mack

Alex Mack will probably opt out of his deal, unless the Browns re-do his deal by March 4th.

(Joshua Gunter, Cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Pro Bowl center Alex Mack will likely opt out of his contract by 4 p.m. March 4 if the Browns haven't made him a deal by then that he can't refuse.

But even if he voids the contract, it doesn't mean he's gone. It just means the Browns will have to reach deep into their pockets and join the Mack sweepstakes again.

Their first-round pick in 2009, Mack has deep roots in Cleveland and has said he'd like to be back. Like Joe Thomas, Mack met with Hue Jackson at the Super Bowl and came away impressed, a source said. He respects Jackson, likes him as a person and thinks he's a fantastic coach.

What's more, Mack might have a chance to block for fellow Cal star Jared Goff, whom the Browns are considering drafting with the No. 2 overall pick.

The addition of Jackson and Goff -- or another top quarterback prospect such as Carson Wentz of North Dakota State or Paxton Lynch of Memphis -- would likely be as appealing to Mack as it is to Thomas, who said last week "the future is really bright for the Cleveland Browns" as long as they pick the right quarterback.

The changes would also likely satisfy one of Mack's late-season criteria for wanting to return.

"I will say that winning is really important to me,'' he said then.

But the Browns will have to pay up if they want to keep him, because Mack stands to hit the jackpot again in free agency, which opens March 9. Joel Corry of nationalfootballpost.com predicted that the three-time Pro Bowler could become the first $10 million a year center in the NFL.

In 2014, after placing the rarely-used transition tag on Mack, the Browns matched Jacksonville's lucrative and creative offer sheet. It was a five-year deal worth $42 million, including $18 million guaranteed over the first two years and another $8 million guaranteed in 2016 if he's on the roster April 5. The deal averaged $8.4 million a year, which made him the highest paid center in the NFL at the time. Now he's fifth.

The pact included a no-trade clause and an opt-out clause after two years. If he waits until after March 1 to voide the deal, the Browns can't place the franchise or transition tag on him.

Mack's contract can be viewed as two separate deals: the two-year, $18 million fully-guaranteed portion that he just completed; and the three-year, $24 million ($8 million average) segment with $8 million guaranteed that he has left.

To make voiding the contract worthwhile, all Mack has to do is beat his remaining three-year, $24 million payout, including $8 million guaranteed, on the open market.

That's a layup.

For comparison's sake, Miami's Mike Pouncey signed a five-year, $44.75 million contract last season, including a $5 million signing bonus and $22 million guaranteed. His average annual annual salary is $8.95 million -- making him the highest-paid center in the NFL. Like Mack, Pouncey is a three-time Pro Bowler.

Mack also earned theEd Block Courage Award from his teammates this year for his comeback from a broken fibula and ligament damage that cost him the final 11 games of 2014.

"It's impressive that a guy that comes off of such a bad broken leg, and other injuries, is able to come back and he's to the point now where you don't even think about it,'' Thomas said when Mack was voted to the Pro Bowl this season. "You wouldn't even know, except for the scar on his leg, that he had a bad injury last year.''

The Browns found out the hard way in 2014 just how valuable Mack was to the team. Without him, the offense tanked and the Browns lost six of their last seven games. They drafted offensive lineman Cam Erving No. 19 overall as insurance against Mack's departure, but he hasn't yet demonstrated that he's ready to start.

"I'm not saying that Cam can't go in, compete and win a job,'' top offensive assistant Pep Hamilton said Thursday. "It was good to see that there were times when he was a dominant player. We expect that over time the more that he plays and once he has a chance to work with the offensive line coaches that we have here, he can be an every-down player for us."

He acknowledged that the thought of losing both Mack and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is unnerving.

"I try not to think about it, but at the same time, I'm optimistic that things are going to work out,'' Hamilton said. "Just looking at what they put on film over the course of their careers across the board, those guys up front, it's exciting to see that the core, probably the most important component besides your quarterback of your offense, we have a strong group in place."

Thomas cast his vote to keep the line intact.

"I feel like we have a lot of salary cap space (an estimated $40 million) to spend on it,'' he said. "I'm not in the salary cap meetings but I'd certainly like to keep them. I think we have the best right tackle and the best center in the NFL and I'd certainly like to keep those guys. You're not going to make your team better by getting a worse player at those positions.''

The Browns now have two weeks to try to wrap up their center before he becomes fair game again.