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UPDATE
It appears the Browns will waste no time in locking up Mack by matching the Jaguars' offer sheet for him:
Once it is signed, Browns figure to match Jacksonville's five-year offer sheet to C Alex Mack "in no time at all", per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 10, 2014
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As the offseason continues, the NFL free agency market has dwindled, but Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack is still free to sign an offer sheet with any team he wants. Viewed as one of the game's best centers, Mack wants to leave Cleveland, but because the Browns placed the franchise tag on him, they can match any offer made.
To this point, Mack has only drawn interest from the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hosted him for a visit last Friday. They now plan to sign him to an offer sheet that will be hard for the Browns to match:
By Friday, Jacksonville will sign Cleveland's transition-tagged C Alex Mack to a 5-year offer sheet the Browns will have five days to match.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2014
Alex Mack's 5-year deal with Jacksonville will be designed to make it as difficult as possible for the Browns to match, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2014
Sources close to Alex Mack say he wants to play this contract in Jacksonville, not Cleveland, which opted not to give him long-term deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 9, 2014
@AdamSchefter The Jags may want to give Mack a right to void after '14 & guarantee $ in later years to discourage Cleveland from matching.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) April 9, 2014
The ball will now be in Cleveland's court once Mack signs the offer sheet, though they are expected to match any deal the Jags can offer him. They're desperate for good football players, and losing Mack would just be another setback for a franchise that has suffered far too many setbacks since coming back to Cleveland.