What will any rumored Damarious Randall contract extension with the Cleveland Browns look like?

There are indications, including one from Pro Football Talk, that the Browns and the starting free safety are inching towards a new contract agreement. Based on some other recent contracts around the league, Randall could be in line for a substantial new deal.

Currently playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, Randall will earn just over $9 million this season. That is near his open-market value, based on comparable players and the new deals they signed this offseason. Among them:

Earl Thomas, 4 years/$55 million with $32 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus to join the Baltimore Ravens

Tyrann Mathieu, 3 years/$42 million with $26.8 million in guaranteed money and a $14.8 million signing bonus to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs

Adrian Amos, 4 years/$36 million with $11 million in guarantees and an $11 million signing bonus with the Green Bay Packers

As a player, Randall fits in with that group talent-wise. He hasn’t proven to be as high-end as Thomas or Mathieu at their peaks, but Randall is younger (he’s 26) and only switched back to safety last season after the Packers played him at cornerback.

Using those deals as a baseline, expect Randall to ask for something similar to Mathieu’s deal. The guaranteed money and signing bonus are the focal points. Those typically only go up over time. That gives Browns GM John Dorsey some negotiating wiggle room on the overall value of any Randall extension.

Projection

Expect any Randall extension done before the 2019 season begins to cost the Browns $28 million in guaranteed money, $20 million in a signing bonus and $15.5 million in average annual contract value.

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