Friday, April 14, 2000Browns zero in on Brown, Arrington
BY
The Associated PressCLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns began contract negotiations Thursday with agents for Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington, one of whom they will take with the first overall pick in this weekend's NFL draft.
A Browns spokesman confirmed that Lal Heneghan, Cleveland's salary-cap guru and chief contract negotiator, was meeting in New York with Marvin Demoff, Brown's representative, and Carl Poston, one of Arrington's agents.
The Browns reportedly are leaning toward selecting Brown, Penn State's dominant defensive end, and if they can work out a deal before Saturday, they will make him the first defensive lineman taken No.1 overall since Dan Wilkinson went to Cincinnati in 1994.
Both Browns president Carmen Policy and director of football operations Dwight Clark could not be reached for comment Thursday.
It is believed the Browns are set to offer Brown a contract structurally similar to the one they gave Tim Couch last year. Couch's seven-year deal included a hefty bonus and “buy-back” years that will require Cleveland to give him a second bonus.TRADE: The New York Jets made another trade, moving up four spots in the first round of the draft in a swap with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Jets now own the 12th, 13th, 18th and 27th spots. San Francisco, which also has the 24th overall slot, got the 16th choice from New York and a second-rounder, 48th overall.
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