CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Receiver Terrelle Pryor gave the Browns another chance after the Redskins offered him a one-year deal after all, a league source told cleveland.com.

It had been reported here Friday that he didn't, but a source close to the situation said that he did.

When he came back, the Browns' original offer had been reduced, the source said.

At that point, it made more sense for Pryor to take the higher offer from the Redskins, which is worth $6 million and a chance to make $2 million more in incentives. It also included a $3 million signing bonus.

The source said Pryor wanted to return to the Browns and held out as long as he could for the Browns to increase their original offer of about $8 million over four years with a sizable guarantee.

The Browns also really wanted to keep Pryor, and had been working to do so since training camp.

Pryor and his agents, Drew and Jason Rosenhaus, didn't accept that offer because Pryor didn't want to be locked into $8 million a year when the felt he could make more, especially if he topped his 1,000-yard season in 2017. One source told cleveland.com he was hoping to make elite receiver money, up to $15 million a year.

Three teams offered him a multiyear deal worth $10 million and one offered $11 million, the source said. But again, Pryor and his agents felt he could get more after 2017 with another big year.

Pryor also didn't accept any of those other offers because he wanted to remain with the Browns, which he had been adamant about throughout the process.

He held out as long as he could, hoping the Browns would increase their offer. They came up a little, the source said, to about $8.5 million a year, but not enough for Pryor's liking.

When the Browns opted not to franchise Pryor by March 1 at about $15.7 million, it became clear they weren't going to budge much, the source said.

Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown, who had been working hard to extend Pryor throughout the season, also made it clear at the NFL Combine that the Browns had alternate plans and were prepared to go in another direction.



"We'd like to have Terrelle back and that's a priority for us,'' he said. "That said, we're not going to panic if he's not back, also.

"I appreciated his remarks with the press about wanting to stay in Cleveland, and then it's on us in this process here to try to make sure we can exhaust all options to make that happen.''

He also said of not franchising him, "we understand that means he's effectively a free agent.''

At that point Pryor knew he might not be back, but continued to hope things would change.

The two sides stayed in contact, but remained far apart, despite the fact the Browns had an NFL-high $102 million in cap space.

In the two-day negotiating period before free agency, Pryor received the offers from the four teams, but none he was willing to accept.

He hit free agency on Thursday and soon watched the Browns sign receiver Kenny Britt, 28, to a deal similar to the one they had offered him: four years, $32.5 million ($8.1 million average), including $17 million guaranteed. Britt, a ninth-year pro, had almost identical numbers to Pryor in 2016: 68 catches, 1,002 yards and five TDs. Pryor had 77 catches for 1,007 yards and four TDs.

The Browns on Thursday also signed free agent guard Kevin Zeitler to a five-year contract worth $60 million, making him the highest paid guard in the NFL with an annual average of $12 million a year.

The same day, the Browns spent $16 million to effectively purchase a second-round pick from the Texans in the Brock Osweiler trade.

"They were willing to spend a lot of their cap money, just not on (Pryor),'' the source said.

On Thursday night, Pryor headed to Washington to visit with the Redskins and they offered him the one-year deal. Pryor still wanted to return to Cleveland, where he felt comfortable and where he loved playing for Hue Jackson.

So they shopped the offer to the Browns, but they declined to match or exceed it, the source said. The offer was less than what they were going to originally pay him.

Pryor, 27, signed with the Redskins, and will have the chance to hit free agency again after the season.

"He has a lot of faith in himself to have a great season,'' one source close to Pryor said.

Pryor will play with quarterback Kirk Cousins, who finished last season as the No. 7 quarterback in the NFL with a 97.2 rating. Cousins signed his $24 million franchise tender this week and expects to be in Washington, despite the fact he asked owner Dan Snyder to trade him, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

The source said Pryor is excited to be in Washington despite the fact he didn't want to leave Cleveland. He loved the fans, his teammates and his coaches.

The Browns were the only team to give him a chance when he converted from quarterback to receiver, and Jackson helped mold him into a 1,000-yard receiver last season.

He had made it clear to his agents that he wanted to return to Cleveland despite the 1-15 record last season.

"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 wanted to be part of the turnaround under 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.''

In Washington, the Redskins lost Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon and needed a featured receiver. In Cleveland, the Browns have Corey Coleman and now Britt, and Pryor may not have started as much as he will in Washington.

"He'll leave the door open to coming back to Cleveland,'' the source said. "It's really where he wanted to be all along.''