Cross another potential free-agent offensive lineman off your 2023 list.
The Cleveland Browns and right tackle Jack Conklin reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension worth $60 million with $31 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday, per agent Drew Rosenhaus.
The two-time first-team All-Pro tackle was set to be a free agent following the season after playing out a three-year pact signed in 2020.
A former first-round pick out of Michigan State in 2016 by the Tennessee Titans, Conklin played four seasons in Nashville before inking with the Browns. He earned All-Pro honors in his first season off the shores of Lake Erie, but injuries (elbow, patellar tendon) curtailed his 2021 season and caused him to miss the first two games in 2022.
Many around Cleveland expected the Browns to let Conklin hit free agency, but Browns general manager Andrew Berry ensured his bookend tackles remained in place for the foreseeable future.
Conklin’s extension, coupled with the Packers extending young stud O-lineman Elgton Jenkins on Friday, crosses out two of the top blockers scheduled to hit free agency. Clubs are being proactive ahead of Christmas weekend to ensure they wrap up extensions well before free agency. That’s good news for any potential free-agent offensive lineman in line for the open market and bad news for teams who will be looking for experienced talent in the trenches in the offseason.