Browns make cost-saving cut with center JC Tretter; safety M.J. Stewart Jr. goes to Texans

JC Tretter proved to be the face of reliability for the Browns the past five seasons, but the franchise announced Tuesday morning it released the starting center in a cost-saving move.

Tretter, the 31-year-old president of the NFL Players Association, had been scheduled to make $8.235 million with a salary cap hit of $9.86 million in 2022, the final season of his contract, according to spotrac.com. Tretter carried a dead cap hit of $1.625 million. Releasing him will save the Browns $8.23 million in salary cap space.

"For the past five seasons, JC has been a mainstay and iron man at center for us," Browns General Manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. "He came to our organization at a time of instability and was one of the key veterans that helped turn the tide over the past several years. His leadership — both within the locker room and the field — will be missed. We wish JC well as he continues his career."

In a letter Tretter posted on social media, he thanked the Browns and four-time Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio.

"I'm going to miss my teammates," Tretter wrote. "I'm leaving Cleveland with incredible memories and friendships that will last much longer than my time here. I wish you all nothing but the best.

"Finally, to my friend Joel Bitonio: You are the heart of the Cleveland Browns. It has been my pleasure to play next to you for 5 years and I look forward to the day you are put in the ring of honor with the other Browns greats.

"Thank you to everyone who helped make [wife] Anna and me feel home in Cleveland. My family and I look forward to the next adventure and helping our next team pursue a Super Bowl."

The Browns will turn to Nick Harris at center. They drafted him in the fifth round in 2020 with the hope he could become Tretter's heir.

Tretter started all 80 regular-season games in which he appeared with the Browns. He missed just one, sitting out a 24-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day due to COVID-19. Harris started in Tretter's place and played well, giving the Browns confidence about their succession plan.

But the move is a gamble, given Tretter is one of the NFL's better centers and Harris has such a small sample size of playing time in the league. A Pro Bowl alternate last season, Tretter ranked sixth among the 39 qualifying centers ProFootballFocus.com graded in 2021.

Coming off a record of 1-31 from 2015-16, the Browns signed Tretter as an unrestricted free agent. A fourth-round pick of the Packers in 2013, Tretter signed a three-year, $32.5 million contract extension with the Browns in November 2019.

A graduate of Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Tretter became NFLPA president on March 10, 2020. On Friday, he ran unopposed and secured another two-year term.

The Browns cut Tretter a day after they released five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Despite the caliber of the players involved, the writing had been on the wall for both moves because of their contracts.

“For all of these situations on our roster, we work through them over the next couple weeks," Berry said recently during the NFL Scouting Combine when he was asked whether Tretter would be back with the Browns next season. "JC's been a real productive veteran for us, he's been a starter since 2017 for us and played a lot of really good football. We expect him to continue to play some really good football."

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M.J. Stewart Jr. reportedly leaving Browns to sign with Houston Texans

The Browns wanted versatile defensive back M.J. Stewart back, and there had been mutual interest from the two sides, league sources said.

However, Stewart agreed to join the Houston Texans on a one-year, $3 million contract, ProFootballNetwork.com reported. The deal can be signed when free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

A second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018, Stewart spent the past two seasons with the Browns after they claimed him off waivers. He started three of his 29 regular-season games with them and compiled 69 tackles, seven passes defensed, two interceptions, a forced fumble and one quarterback hit.

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Cleveland Browns receive 99th overall pick in NFL Draft

The NFL announced the Browns were awarded a compensatory pick (No. 99 overall) in the third round of the April 28-30 draft.

The Browns received the selection as a result of a relatively new league rule and the Minnesota Vikings hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their general manager this offseason.

In November 2020, NFL owners approved a resolution stipulating teams that have a minority coach or executive become a head coach or GM with another club will receive a third-round compensatory pick for two consecutive years.

Adofo-Mensah, the first Black man in Vikings history to hold the title of GM, spent the past two seasons as the Browns' vice president of football operations.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns release JC Tretter, turning to Nick Harris at center