This article is the fourth of a 32-part series where we look at players from all NFL teams entering their contract year, their performance, and their team's financial situation. Rounding out the AFC North is the Cleveland Browns, and we'll be looking at 24-year-old wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones as he enters his fourth year.
Production
A five-star recruit out of high school, Peoples-Jones was unable to meet the lofty expectations set by scouts and Michigan fans. After dealing with subpar quarterback play and a run-heavy offense in college, he fell to the 6th round of the 2020 NFL draft until the Cleveland Browns finally scooped him up at pick 187. Luckily for DPJ, he entered a wide receiver room lacking in depth, and he started the season as the 4th receiver behind stars Odell Beckham Jr, Jarvis Landry, and slot receiver Rashard Higgins. With Beckham missing a handful of games, Peoples-Jones found a path to playing time and flashed his big play ability. DPJ's sophomore season would prove to be his mini-breakout season, as an injury-riddled season for the Browns receivers opened the floodgates for the Michigan product, who became quarterback Baker Mayfield's top receiver. This past year, People-Jones' third, the Browns fielded a new-look offense, led by Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, and Amari Cooper. This led to DPJ's best season yet, and he posted a stat line of 61 catches, 839 yards, and 3 touchdowns through the air. Additionally, Peoples- offers significant punt-returning value, and he was 9th in the league last year in yards per punt return. His top-notch athleticism, frame, and big-play ability give the Browns a receiver with one of the highest ceilings in the league. However, the question is how much does the team trust the receiver and are they willing to spend big on him?
Contract Situation
DPJ is entering the final year of his extremely team-friendly 4 year, 3.5 million-dollar deal and enters a much more crowded receiver room than last year. The team traded for former Jets pass-catcher Elijah Moore, and based on early training camp reports, Moore has been incredible, flashing his versatility and talent behind Cooper. This likely means the best-case scenario for Peoples-Jones is to be a WR2/3 who plays on the outside in three-receiver sets and splits snaps with Moore. To make matters worse, Cleveland drafted Cedric Tillman, a receiver out of Tennessee, in the third round, making DPJ's future even murkier. One of the main takeaways from these transactions is that the Browns want to see Peoples-Jones prove that he can be an elite playmaker and worthy of a lucrative extension. However, what should really be the main takeaway is that the Browns are preparing a year ahead for Peoples-Jones to leave and join another team. Moore and Tillman are still on rookie contracts with multiple years left, and given that they are currently 60 million over the cap for 2024 because of Deshaun Watson's contract, those are the only contracts they can really afford. If Peoples-Jones performs as expected, the Browns would likely need to give a long-term deal worth over 10 million annually, and that wouldn't be worth it for a team struggling financially when Peoples-Jones is not necessarily an elite player. So overall, it would make sense for DPJ to thank the Browns organization for everything and pack his bags next offseason.
Potential Landing Spots
If Peoples-Jones leaves the Browns as predicted where he could he go, and for how much money? A team that would make sense for the fourth-year receiver would be the rebuilding Arizona Cardinals, who will field a new head coach and offensive coordinator this offseason. Kliff Kingsbury, their former head coach, ran an Air Raid offense and was unable to succeed, leaving this Cardinals team in a bad situation. They are towards the bottom of the league in talent, but field a young team and own a bevy of draft picks. Jonathan Gannon is in as the new head coach and brought Drew Petzing as his offensive coordinator, who will run a West Coast Offense. Marquise Brown, standing at 5'9 as their current number one receiver, could demand a big contract after this year north of 20 million per year, and it is possible the rebuilding team could let him walk. The Cardinals' two next-best receivers, Rondale Moore and Greg Dortch, both stand at under 5'10 and project as solid pure slot receivers. The Cardinals own the draft picks of the Texans and themselves, which means there could be a high chance of having two top-five picks. With one of their high draft picks next year, selecting wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State could be a smart decision to push themselves into the playoff conversation if Brown does leave. With this potential receiver room headlined by Harrison Jr, Dortch, and Moore, Peoples-Jones could immediately step in as an outside receiver. His plus frame, high upside, and ability to fit into any scheme would be extremely attractive to Arizona, and he will cost about half of what Brown would demand. So, what could a potential contract look like? Obviously, the numbers will largely depend on how DPJ performs this upcoming year, but if he plays as projected, we could see a contract similar to the one Michael Gallup of the Cowboys signed last offseason. Gallup and DPJ were both young WR2s for solid teams who flashed high upside behind a stud WR1. While Gallup had an 1100-yard season to his name when he signed his 5-year, 57.5 million dollar deal, he was older and had injury concerns attached as well. With the inflated market, I believe that the Cardinals and Peoples-Jones could come to terms on a 4 year, 55-million-dollar deal next offseason. Even so, he will be a player to watch in the next few months, as he will be heavily watched and could be a potential trade candidate.
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