Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas and cornerback Eric Wright signed deals on Thursday, just before the beginning of training camp. This was absolutely huge in the eyes of many Browns fans, more so than getting Brady Quinn signed, because Thomas and Wright are candidates to start on opening day.
Here are the contract details that have been released for each person:
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Joe Thomas (No. 3 Overall): Five-year contract worth $42.5 million. The deal includes $22-$23 million in guaranteed money, according to ESPN. In comparison, earlier in the day, the fourth-overall pick, Gaines Adams, signed a six-year contract worth $46 million with $18.56 million in guaranteed money. Due to Thomas having one less year on his deal and more money guaranteed, he of course received a better deal.
Thomas is expected to report to camp, as will offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer. It'll be interesting to see if the Browns try to trade Shaffer to the Indianapolis Colts after the sudden retirement of Tarik Glenn. I can't imagine the Browns getting more than a second-day draft pick for Shaffer, which really doesn't sound enticing to me. However, Phil Savage may want to do as much as he can to compensate for losing next year's first-round draft choice.
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Eric Wright (No. 53 Overall): The Orange and Brown Report has reported that while Wright's contract numbers are not official yet, he should be receiving a signing bonus of around $1.5 million.
Wright is also expected to report to camp. With Leigh Bodden having one starting role locked up, it is expected that Wright will compete with Daven Holly for the other starting role.