Terrelle Pryor

The Browns hope to make progress soon on a new deal for receiver Terrelle Pryor.

(John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Terrelle Pryor's agents will have 'strong discussions' with the Browns soon about a new deal for the 1,000-yard receiver, a source told cleveland.com, and Pryor has instructed them he wants to stay in Cleveland.

The Browns have no plans to franchise Pryor, the source said, and would only considering doing so if they can't strike a long-term deal.

Pryor's agents, Drew and Jason Rosenhaus, will meet with the Browns this week to discuss a deal for their "top offseason priority'' according to CBS Sports' Jason LaCanfora.

Drew Rosenhaus declined to comment on the status of Pryor's negotiations at the Senior Bowl two weeks ago and again on Monday. Pryor became the Browns' focus after they wrapped up linebacker Jamie Collins last month to a four-year, $50 million deal.

Teams can begin placing the franchise and transition tag on players on Wednesday, and have until March 1st to do. Other teams can enter into negotiations for free agents on March 7, but not complete a deal until free agency officially opens on March 9th.

The franchise number for wide receivers will be about $15 million for the 2017 season. Pryor's value on the open market will be roughly $9 million a year, according to spotrac.com. That would rank him 10th in terms of current wideout averages.

"I know this is an important month,'' Pryor, one of the top receivers due to become free, told cleveland.com last week. "But I do love being with the Browns and like I said before, this thing isn't about joining a different team because a different team's good.

"That's not what it's about. I love the building process here. I started out in my career never coming in the front door. I've alway got to go in the back, the hard way and the long way.''

Like his teammate Joe Thomas, he wants to be part of the turnaround under Hue Jackson.

"I have no problem with, just because we were 1-15 or whatever this year, coming back,'' he said. "I don't mind starting fresh next year and continuing to grow, because I think it's more exciting when you're on the bottom. I'm always citing starting from the bottom and getting to the top, and I think it's a greater feeling and it would be great to give Cleveland what they're looking for.''

Pryor, who eclipsed 1,000 yards in the season finale against his hometown Steelers, doesn't know exactly where things stands, but he told the Rosenhaus brothers that this is where he wants to be.

"It's really up to them,'' he said. "It's really in God's hands.''

Pryor told cleveland.com in September that he wants to be here "as long as Hue Jackson is here,'' and the admiration is mutual. Jackson helped draft Pryor in 2011 when he was head coach of the Raiders, and Pryor wants to win for him.



"This relationship with me and him goes way back to 2011,'' Jackson said this season. "There are a lot of things I know about Terrelle that maybe a lot of people don't. I'm talking about as far as what he is really capable of doing. I would say to all of you that he hasn't even scratched the surface of what he is.

"He's growing each and every day as a football player, as a person. He's getting better, and his best football's still ahead of him by far. He just has to keep working like he does every day and continue to get better and stay humble and be as good as he's been and good things will happen."

Pryor recently got the cast off his broken right hand and has been training hard back home in the Pittsburgh area.

Lateral Quickness something I'm trying to get better at. pic.twitter.com/Pc2IfqsSJf — Terrelle Pryor SR (@TerrellePryor) February 13, 2017