AP

While their quarterback situation drew the most attention, the Browns’ season began to flatline last year when center Alex Mack was lost for the year to a broken leg.

And while he’s healthy now, the continued upheaval there could mean he’ll start looking for the door.

After they couldn’t negotiate a deal of their own last offseason, the Browns squatted on Mack with the transition tag, giving them the chance to match any deal he found elsewhere. So when the Jaguars tried to pry him free, they included a player option to turn the five-year deal into a two-year, $18 million deal with an opt-out after the 2015 season.

So with Mack coming back for his fourth head coach, fifth offensive coordinator and enduring six losing seasons, he might be inclined to look around soon. And frankly, that’s something his teammates expect.

“I haven’t really had any conversations with Alex, but I will say I’m sure there’s a reason he put that clause in his contract, because this is going to be an important year for the Browns to prove the things they said to him during the recruiting process, prove they were true,” left tackle Joe Thomas told Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland. “So I imagine that we’re going to have to have a good season, we’re going to have to show to Alex that we’re moving in the right direction, or I’m sure he’ll probably, . . . there’s no downside to declaring himself a free agent after this year because worst-case scenario, I guess, he can just resign with the Browns if he wanted.

“So I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to opt out and become a free agent at the end of the year.

“Maybe he just signs right back with the Browns for more money, I don’t know. I just know that having the player’s option to opt out rather than strictly only the club, which is kind of the way everything is set up right now, it’s great for the players and I’d like to see more players across the league get that type of language in their contract because it gives the players some power that if the team’s not following through on their side of the bargain, that the players can walk and go somewhere else.”

Mack is one of the few that have that kind of liberty, since the Browns placed themselves over a barrel and let someone else negotiate their deal for them. And while winning games stands as its own reward, simply showing some stability might allow them to keep one of their own, instead of watching him walk a year from now.