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Browns center Alex Mack has been a reliable fulcrum in the offensive line during his four-year career in Cleveland.

(Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - I'm not buying that Browns center Alex Mack wants out of Cleveland and would prefer to play in Jacksonville.



I firmly believe that Mack is looking for fair market value and that he's found a way to get it -- from either the Jaguars or the Browns.



I believe that Mack will be thrilled -- even overjoyed -- to remain with the Browns if he gets the money he wants, despite national reports to the contrary.



This is Mack's first big opportunity to hit the jackpot, and he's not about to settle for less than what he can get.



The Jaguars have made him a five-year offer worth about $27 million to $30 million over the first three years of the deal, which would make him the highest-paid center in league. The deal will include at least $22 million guaranteed, but probably more. Once he signs it, the Browns will have five days to match.



The two sides are still working out the details of the offer, including if and when Mack can void the contract. The offer on the table Wednesday included an option for Mack to void it after two years, according to profootballtalk.com, but a source told cleveland.com that that's subject to change.



If Mack really wanted out of Cleveland, all he had to do was sign the one-year transition tender for $10.039 million and then hit the market next year. Yes, he would have had some injury risk, but even if he tore his ACL next season, he'd still receive a big free-agent contract. Maybe not the potential $22 million guaranteed he would've gotten, but a big deal nevertheless.



I do believe that Mack really likes the Jacksonville Jaguars and is fully prepared to pack his bags and fly south. I know he enjoyed his time with Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley and would genuinely enjoy playing for them. But I don't believe it's his fervent hope to get out of Cleveland, where players are buying into the new program, excited about coach Mike Pettine and optimistic the Browns will win this season.



Mack needed a fantastic offer from another team to set his price, and he got it. But there's no way he'd sign the deal with Jacksonville if he didn't want to play for the Browns.



Mack is well aware that the Browns have every intention of matching any deal that Jacksonville comes up with. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam made that perfectly clear at the Draft Day movie premiere Tuesday night.



"We remain optimistic that Alex Mack will be a Cleveland Brown for a long time," Haslam said. "We want him to be. I think we've made it very clear that he's the kind of person, the kind of player we want in our organization."

Asked if he's prepared to match anything the Jaguars come up with, Haslam smiled and said, "We want Alex to be a Cleveland Brown."

Even if the Browns have to pay him $20 million over the first two years and then he voids the contract, they'd still have their Pro Bowl center for two years and the line would be stable. Sure, that's a million or two more per year than they'd want to pay for a center, but they've wasted far more millions on worse players over the years -- and they've thrown tens of millions more out the window on fired coaches.

Mack knows that his owner is serious about matching the deal, because he's said so publicly, and because Haslam flew out to California along with other key members of the organization to personally show Mack how much he wants him back. The Browns have stated that re-signing Mack is one of their highest priorities this offseason. So would they really let him get away for a few million dollars?

I highly doubt it.



What's more, Mack's best friend on the team, seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, was supremely confident on Tuesday night that his buddy will remain with the Browns -- and he's kept in close contact with him.



"There's no doubt that he'll be here at least this year,'' Thomas said. "I think that's for certain. I certainly hope we can sign him to a long-term deal and keep him here for much longer than I am here."



Does he still think he'll be back regardless of the Jacksonville situation?



"Yeah,'' said Thomas, who was vocal last season about the Browns keeping Mack.



Granted, Mack and Thomas were two of the many players extremely upset when the Browns fired Rob Chudzinski after one season. What's more, they lost their beloved line coach George Warhop to the Bucs. But Thomas likes the new coaches, and so does Mack.



"It was tough,'' said Thomas. "Obviously we've had some time since that happened and I'm able to get over it. But I'm excited about the staff that they've brought in. The things I've seen from coach (Pettine) and the new staff that they brought in, I'm happy about. We've only had a couple days. but I've had a chance to talk to him a little bit and I really like the things that he's selling so far.''



Mack also told USA Today last month that he likes the direction of the team.



"I like where my future is going,'' Mack said. "Mr. Haslam, he's a really good owner. I've got a really good feeling about him. He's a direct person who knows what he wants to do. There's something to be said of that. It's now a clean slate."

He also stressed that he'd be happy returning.

"I have to be comfortable with (the fact they can match)," Mack said. "It's their right. I have to weigh that into any potential decision. But I walked away from our meeting with feeling it was a good meeting. With a doubt, it's not a bad thing to return to the Browns.

"We'll see what happens. It's tough to know. I don't know how teams feel about me. I still have an opportunity to meet with coaches and experience free agency. That's the goal. I like Cleveland; I know it. I like these new coaches. But there are other opportunities out there. You only get to play this game so long. Let's see what else is out there."

Mack played on a Browns team last year that featured six Pro Bowlers, which bodes well for the future. The Jaguars, who also went 4-12, had none. The Browns have also added impact free agents in Donte Whitner, Karlos Dansby, Ben Tate, Nate Burleson and Andrew Hawkins. They have players such as quarterback Brian Hoyer, receiver Travis Benjamin, running back Dion Lewis, linebacker Quentin Groves and receiver Charles Johnson coming off major injuries -- an infusion of talent from the trainer's room.

What's more, they have 10 draft picks this year -- including two in the first round -- thanks to the wheeling and dealing of former CEO Joe Banner, who knew this draft was far deeper than last year's.

The immediate future looks bright enough that Hoyer said Tuesday night, "We're here to win now. We're not in rebuilding mode.''

Mack also plays in front of a home crowd that averaged 71,242 per game last year despite the constant losing. The Jaguars, on the other hand, averaged 59,940 and could be playing in London by 2017.

All along, Mack has wanted a big, long-term contract from the Browns, and now he has a chance to get it.