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Cleveland Browns have talked extension with wide receiver Terrelle Pryor's rep.

(John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

BEREA, Ohio -- The Browns have had preliminary contract extension talks regarding Terrelle Pryor, a source told cleveland.com.

Pryor's contract is up after this year and he'll be an unrestricted free agent if the Browns don't re-sign him first.

The club has almost $50 million in cap space.

Pryor's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who also represents Joe Haden and others on the team, has been in Cleveland recently.

If the Browns and Pryor can't reach a deal before free agency begins in March, they can always franchise him and continue to negotiate. The one-year franchise salary for receivers this year is $14,599,000, the average of the top five paid players at the position.

Pryor told cleveland.com last month that he wants to remain as long as Hue Jackson is here.

"I respect him very highly and if Hue Jackson's here, I'd love to stay here,'' Pryor said. "I want to be here if Hue's going to be here for a while, because I know this is a building process -- and it's not really. We're right there. We're competing with everybody, we've just got to put teams away and I'd like to be where Hue's at.''

Pryor, who leads the Browns with 33 receptions, 413 receiving yards and four total TDs (three receiving and one rushing) is on a one-year deal worth $1.671 million.

"Cleveland's awesome,'' he said. "The fans are are awesome. But right now, I'm here and I'm going to try to get it done."

The top tier wideouts make from about $8 million to $15 million a year. Pryor brings the added dimension of playing in the Wildcat, posing a legitimate running or passing threat.

Pryor, who's battling a sore hamstring and sat out practice Wednesday and Thursday, said this week that he wasn't thinking about an extension.

"You don't because right now my job is to be the best I can for the team,'' he said. "There's so much stuff involved in that contract stuff. Right now I'm really focusing on Sunday and getting back out there and helping the team. I'm really looking forward to that."

Haden has marveled at his friend's development.

"T.P., it goes without being said, I told you earlier he went from the most improved player I have ever seen from one season to the next,'' said Haden. "He has gone from 'can he play receiver?' to being a legit No. 1 for an NFL team. He's a really, really good guy. Just his improvement is something spectacular."

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis admitted this week that he's "disappointed'' Pryor is not starring for them, and Jackson, who drafted Pryor as a quarterback in Oakland, said the multi-purpose threat is only just beginning.

"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."