Browns' Terrelle Pryor: Unlikely to receive franchise tag

The Browns don't expect to use the franchise tag on Pryor (finger), Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Analysis:

The Browns' desire to retain Pryor isn't in question; the issue at hand is the price it would take to re-sign him. Should Cleveland slap Pryor with the franchise tag, the Browns would be on the hook to pay him north of $15 million in 2017. By comparison, Julio Jones and A.J. Green are scheduled to make $11.5 million and $10.3 million in base salary, respectively. The deadline to assign franchise tags is March 1. After that, Pryor and the Browns have until March 9 to reach a long-term deal or else the receiver will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Pryor is progressing from the finger surgery he underwent in mid-January, as the video he posted on Twitter today revealed he's now able to hold weight in his right hand. Barring any sort of setback, he should be full go for the start of offseason workouts in April regardless of whatever roster he's on.