Following his release from the Chiefs, Dwayne Bowe became one of the Browns’ ”top offseason priorities.” The two sides eventually agreed to terms on a two-year contract, and by the looks of the money, Cleveland definitely valued Bowe.
According to Joel Corry of CBS Sports, Bowe’s two year deal is worth a total of $12.5 million and includes a whopping $9 million guaranteed. Entering his age-31 season, Bowe scored a $3.5 million signing bonus and gets 72 percent of his entire contract guaranteed. Among receivers, that’s the highest percentage guaranteed to a player not operating on his guaranteed first-round rookie deal or the fully guaranteed franchise tag.
It’s a sign the Browns are comfortable going into the season with Bowe and Brian Hartline as their starting outside receivers with Andrew Hawkins in the slot. The three players combined to score a total of four touchdowns on 162 catches last season.
Checkdown artist Alex Smith was a big drain on Bowe’s statistics in Kansas City, but going to Josh McCown isn’t viewed as an upgrade. McCown was one of the least-accurate passers in the league last season, though he did have a propensity for taking plenty of shots downfield. That’s something Smith would never consider.
