Shaq Thompson’s new deal pushes up Joe Schobert’s next contract

The price tag for the Cleveland Browns to keep Joe Schobert in the brown and orange just went up a little more. Thank the Carolina Panthers and the contract extension that team gave to linebacker Shaq Thompson on Saturday.

Thompson agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal with $28 million guaranteed. The deal could reach as high as $57 million with incentives, and that’s the baseline to use for any potential Schobert contract.

The two linebackers play roughly the same position, an off-ball role that draws upon versatility and range. Schobert plays a bit more in a traditional MIKE role in Cleveland than Thompson does in Carolina, in part because Thompson has All-Pro Luke Kuechly next to him. Schobert doesn’t get that luxury.

Thompson’s contract gives Schobert and his camp another comparable contract for their free agent negotiations. The $13 million per year average is right in line with what the Falcons gave Deion Jones this offseason. Jones, when healthy, is a slightly better all-around player than Thompson. He got $57 million over four years. More important for Schobert, Jones got $34 million guaranteed.

With the year Schobert is having, expect him to try and snag $36 million guaranteed and $58 million over four years. He could likely get a higher per-year figure with a shorter deal, but the tradeoff would be less in total guarantees. That’s up to Schobert.