What reported contract details say about Brandon Browner’s return to the Seahawks
Apr 21, 2016, 1:38 PM | Updated: Apr 22, 2016, 9:29 am
(AP)
When news broke over the weekend of cornerback Brandon Browner’s return to Seattle on a one-year deal, the assumption was that it’s a low-cost, low-risk for move for the Seahawks.
Is it ever.
According to ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia and others, Browner’s deal includes a base salary of $760,000 and no guaranteed money. That’s the minimum salary for a player of Browner’s tenure, and his contract will reportedly count only $600,000 against the cap thanks to what’s called a minimum-salary benefit. It includes even more protection for Seattle in the form of an injury split that will reduce his compensation if he’s hurt.
Browner will still make some money from the Saints, who released him in March with two years remaining on his contract. It included a guaranteed $2.75 million base salary for 2016, which could be reduced depending on the offsets in the contract and how long Browner remains on Seattle’s roster.
But as far as the Seahawks are concerned, they’re essentially spending as little as possible on Browner in terms of cash and cap space while assuming minimal risk if he doesn’t work out. It’s entirely possible that Browner turned down better offers to return to Seattle, which he had previously said he’d like to do at some point. But on the surface, the modest deal suggests that the Seahawks aren’t counting on Browner to start and that he’s not a lock to even make the team.
With Richard Sherman and presumably Jeremy Lane filling two of the top three cornerback spots, Browner will compete against DeShawn Shead and perhaps Tharold Simon along with Seattle’s younger prospects and whomever the team adds in the draft. As previously noted, Brock Huard suggested the possibility that Seattle could use Browner in a situational role that utilizes his size.
As is the case with defensive end Chris Clemons, the Seahawks will have gotten a bargain if Browner can regain his earlier form. But his contract suggests that nothing is guaranteed.