Quote: 

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;">And the ending affirms the unconventional strategy used by Browns General Manager Ray Farmer.

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;">Mack’s visit with and subsequent offer from the Jaguars was his right under terms of the seldom-used transition tag, which guaranteed Mack a one-year salary of $10.039 million. Had Farmer given Mack the franchise tag, at a cost of only $1.6 million more, Mack wouldn’t have had any leverage to negotiate a longer-term contract and the Browns would have secured two first-round draft picks in compensation if Mack left.

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"> 

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;">In the end, the deal jointly negotiated by Mack and the Jaguars pays him $10 million in 2014 and $8 million in 2015. So that $9 million average is below what Mack could have received if he had played this season under the transition tag and then gone through the process again and perhaps received the franchise tag (which would be more than $12 million) next year.

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"> 

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;">Perhaps the biggest favor done by the Jaguars, however, is keeping the contract free of any bonus money. For example, if Mack opts out after two years, the Browns would face no bonus acceleration charge on their salary cap.

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"> 

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;">A league source monitoring the Mack proceedings intently said of Jacksonville's participation, "Nothing genius happened here. This was a comedy of errors."

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"> 

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;">Asked what the Jaguars could have done within league rules to get the Browns not to match, the source said, "Guarantee the whole deal for five years."

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"> 

<p style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;">http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php...t_id=30951