Insider: Browns could try to re-structure John Johnson III’s contract to retain him

Will the veteran safety be back for a third season?

Overall, things haven’t gone how the Cleveland Browns hoped when they signed veteran safety John Johnson III two years ago in free agency. There have been flashes and some great games but he has not looked like the player he was with the Los Angeles Rams. Some believe that it was mostly because of the scheme Joe Woods was running and others question his effort levels at times.

Most have thought that the Browns would wash their hands of the deal and save the cap space by releasing him. But Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot isn’t certain that a release is coming without trying to redo the contract.

“It will depend, in part, on new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s evaluation of Johnson, but I think the Browns will try to restructure his contract to lower that number, and if the two sides can’t agree, they’ll either trade of release him as a June 1 designation, in which case they’ll save $9.75 million on the cap.”

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