BILLS FROM SAVAGE ERA ARE COMING DUE, TODAY

The word on the street as the Cleveland Browns were looking to rebuild their football operation was that former G.M. Phil Savage had negotiated a series of bad deals that would put the team in a very difficult situation during the 2009 season. Difficult situation, on. According to Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns were scheduled to owe more than $30 million in roster bonuses as of the close of business today. The new “ManKok” regime already has been forced to part ways with tackle Kevin Shaffer and receiver Joe Jurevicius due in part to these bonuses. Per Grossi, Shaffer was owed $1 million. (According to a league source, the total roster bonus owed to Shaffer was actually $1.5 million; we suppose it’s possible -- but not likely -- that the extra $500,000 was due at a later date.) Grossi reports that Jurevicius was owed $250,000. Other remaining players are scheduled to receive big-money checks if they’re still on the team at 4:00 p.m. EST. Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers and defensive lineman Corey Williams will pocket $6 million in roster bonuses. Quarterback Derek Anderson has a roster bonus of $5 million, which is fully guaranteed. (So, in other words, cutting him won’t allow the Browns to save the money.) Receiver Donte Stallworth has a roster bonus of $4.75 million. Running back Jamal Lewis is due to receive a $4 million roster bonus. Left tackle Joe Thomas will get a $3.44 million bonus. Absent some restructuring, we think that Stallworth and Lewis could be in danger of being cut. There’s also a chance that the Browns have retained the ability to convert these roster bonuses to guaranteed payments, which could significantly reduce the 2009 cap charges. Then again, that would reflect that the the team had done something smart. Giving Stallworth a contract that pays him $4 million in March of its second year tells us that “smart” isn’t an adjective that was applicable to the Savage regime.