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#TeamBrookPark
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It's a waiting game in Cleveland in just about every way you can think of. This week has been a frenzy with all the Brandon Aiyuk trade talks and the Browns revealing the new $3 billion Brook Park stadium and development renderings! Cleveland fans are hopeful that the Browns can win the Aiyuk sweepstakes and not lose him to another AFC North opponent, like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But while fans are holding their breath over Aiyuk, there's another issue that's hitting even closer to home. The Brook Park move threatens to take away decades of tradition by relocating the stadium away from downtown. That means the iconic Muni Lot and a lot of local businesses could be closed down, and for many, that's a loss too big to bear. Even though the plans seem set in stone, there's still hope that they'll find a way to keep the stadium downtown and preserve the heart and soul of Cleveland football.
Amidst all this, something crucial seems to be slipping through the cracks—a situation that leaves me uneasy in this waiting game. One of the Browns' best players, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, still hasn't signed a contract extension. In an interview with Sarah Walsh at training camp, JOK was asked about the extension and what it means to him. He said, "It'll mean everything. You want to be that guy who stays in the same location for his entire career. Those are the special stories." He went on to talk about how it's not just important to him but also to the fans, the organization, the youth, and how he hopes to remain in Cleveland for his entire career.
I've mentioned before that the Browns have "luxuries" this year—something we're not used to in Cleveland. But how much of a luxury is it to have a player who is not only one of the best on the team but one of the best at his position, and who isn't holding the team hostage over a contract situation when he's clearly worth the money? In situations like this, you often see players holding out of training camps and practices until a new deal is done. But not with JOK—it's business as usual, and it doesn't get any better than that.
If the Browns drop the ball and don't find a way to retain a guy like JOK, it will haunt them for years to come. So the question is, how long is it going to take? Will he sign before the season, during, or after? All we can do is sit back and wait until everything unfolds.
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