The Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi is prepared to take the next step in his career and become an unrestricted free agent. The Browns have no intention to try and sign Ogunjobi to an extension before free agency begins and they are fully prepared to let him test the open market.
Saying goodbye to Ogunjobi is tough because he is one of the guys that has been here for the Browns ascent from the worst in football to AFC contender. The reality though is the Browns have multiple players they need to look at extending before Ogunjobi and it’s likely that someone will offer him more than the Browns are willing to pay.
Ogunjobi did rank inside ESPN’s Top 50 free agents but failed to land of Pro Football Focuses Top 100 free agent list. According to Spotrac, Ogunjobi’s market value is about $9.3M per year(Spotrac: 3 years – $28,154,163). Ogunjobi recorded his best PFF grade in his rookie season with a 78.4, which was 28th in the league among interior defensive linemen. Since that rookie season his grades at PFF have declined each year with his worst season so far being this past season when he ended with an overall grade of 51.4 ranking him 109th overall among interior defensive lineman.
DI #65 – Larry Ogunjobi – Free Agent – Grades via @PFF pic.twitter.com/mqXCPiTQor
— All Eyez on Cleveland Podcast (@AllEyezonCle) February 1, 2021
The top interior defensive lineman in this years free agent class are both New York Giants, Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson. Williams could command $20M per year while Tomlinson looks to garner a figure closer to $13M or $14M per year.
Ogunjobi finished the 2020 season with 46 tackles, 6 pressures and 2.5 sacks. He has always shown the ability to flash good athleticism and make the occasional play but his consistency has been an issue.
Spotrac’s market value estimation of $9.3M per year seems awfully high for what could be a depressed market all around due to a lower salary cap in 2021. There are free agents like the 34-year-old Ndamukong Suh (TB) who played more snaps and was more productive than Ogunjobi, along with 26-year-old Sheldon Rankins (NO) and 29-year-old Shelby Harris (DEN) who both grade out better than Ogunjobi and will likely be more sought after.
Even at that value, the Browns are likely to let him go with Andrew Billings coming back after opting out in 2020 and set to make just $3.5M per year, along with Sheldon Richardson and last year’s 3rd round pick Jordan Elliott also returning.
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