BEREA: In the midst of a winless season, the Browns made a splash Monday by trading for New England Patriots Pro Bowl linebacker Jamie Collins.
The deal is shocking for a couple of reasons. Collins appeared to be an important part of the Patriots’ nucleus, and the Browns were widely believed to be much more likely to ship a veteran away than to acquire one with the NFL’s trade deadline set for 4 p.m. Tuesday.
“I was ecstatic to see that we picked him up,” wide receiver Terrelle Pryor said. “It was awesome. We got better today.
“That says a lot about our front office. ... We want to win.”
In exchange for Collins, the Browns will give up a third- or fourth-round pick in next year’s draft depending on which compensatory selections they’re awarded by the NFL in the spring. They expect to receive a third-round compensatory selection, which would go to the Patriots. If the Browns don’t receive those compensatory picks next year, the compensation would be a fourth-round choice in 2018. But that’s not expected to happen.
So why would Patriots coach Bill Belichick give up on Collins?
He’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March, and the Boston Globe cited a source who said the Patriots were “having a lot of trouble” negotiating a long-term contract with Collins, who turned down $11 million per year from his former team. If the Browns can’t reach a deal with Collins, he would be a candidate for their franchise tag, which is projected to be worth about $15 million for a linebacker.
The Browns want to sign Collins, 27, to a contract extension, though one isn’t imminent.
The team has a little more than $50 million in salary cap space.
“We’d love to keep him, obviously,” coach Hue Jackson said. “But it’s got to be mutual, and hopefully we can move in that direction.
“We know what he is. We know what he brings to the table, and I don’t think we would’ve done this if we don’t think there is an opportunity to move forward with him.”
Bus Cook, Collins’ agent, told NFL Network, “He’s excited about getting over there [to the Browns]. The thinking is, ‘If [the Patriots] don’t want me, go someplace that does.’ ”
Jackson spoke to Collins by phone.
“It was a great conversation,” Jackson said. “I think he’s going to come here with an open mind and come here and play football. He’s kind of a quiet young man who I think the most important thing to him is playing.”
Even if the Browns’ plan to secure Collins long term doesn’t work out, they would probably receive a third-round compensatory pick in 2018 if he were to leave in free agency. So they would essentially recoup the pick they surrendered for him, albeit a year later.
Collins, 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, played outside linebacker in the Patriots’ 4-3 defense. Jackson said the Browns have yet to decide whether he’ll be used primarily as an inside or outside linebacker in defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s 3-4, multifront scheme.
“We’ll see. Let’s get him here,” Jackson said. “It’s where his comfort level I think is what’s most important, and then we’ll kind of work around that.”
Jackson expects Collins to play Sunday when the Browns (0-8) host the Dallas Cowboys (6-1).
He has started six of his seven games this season and compiled 43 tackles, two interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble. ProFootballFocus.com has ranked him ninth among 87 linebackers.
“He’s one of the better linebackers that’s in the league, so why not get a jump on him and bring him in?” inside linebacker Chris Kirksey said. “So I think it’s a good move for us, bring a veteran guy in, bring a guy that knows how to win, knows how to make plays, and we’ll see where he fits in on this defense.”
Collins has started 41 of the 50 regular-season games in which he’s appeared with the Patriots since they drafted him in the second round out (No. 52 overall) out of Southern Mississippi.
He has tallied 285 tackles, 10.5 sacks, five interceptions, 10 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, one defensive touchdown and one blocked extra point.
He led the Patriots in tackles in each of the past two seasons. He also played every snap and paced them in tackles during their victory two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLIX.
He finished last season ranked seventh and 2014 ranked 11th in PFF’s grades for linebackers. Last year, he earned his first career Pro Bowl selection and was named second-team All Pro.
As for the knocks on Collins, they have been pointed out by former Patriots executive and Browns General Manager Mike Lombardi.
Lombardi appeared Monday on the Bill Simmons Podcast and said Collins freelances too much and has played poorly throughout this season. Lombardi described Collins as “very talented, but very moody, very inconsistent with his effort.”
“He can freelance for me then,” Jackson quipped. “Hey, the way he freelances is OK with me. What happened there is not what’s important for us here. We see a player that’s very talented and has a tremendous skill set that fits in with what we do.”
Jackson also called Collins “a tremendous pass rusher.”
Pryor said because of Collins’ athleticism and versatility, he was one of the first defenders who “jumped out at me” when he studied the Patriots on game film before the Browns faced them Oct. 9.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.