This week, things have definitely been brewing between Mike Holmgren and the Cleveland Browns. After meeting with owner Randy Lerner on Monday and Tuesday and reportedly having further talks throughout the week, Holmgren hosted his radio show on Seattle's KJR 950 AM earlier this morning.
Dan Delco over at No Logo Needed did a great job whipping up a transcript of Holmgren's show. Here are the highlights I pulled from it:
- Holmgren doesn't know where the term "czar" came from, and he isn't really a fan of that term. I guess it's better if we stick to something more basic like "upper-management position."
- The money associated with a contract was not discussed Monday or Tuesday. Holmgren simply met people within the organization, looked at some houses, etc. to get better acclimated with the city and what Lerner has in mind.
- He felt good about his meeting with Holmgren. In terms of what position he would hold, Holmgren stated, "As far as the presentation, it would be any and all, I would say." Other outlets have indicated that this doesn't rule out a coaching position with the Browns (although I really don't see that happening).
- If a deal were to happen, Holmgren would prefer that it happened sooner rather than later.
- Holmgren stated that he was contacted by another NFL team, but did not say who.
Aaron Ziraks, a writer for No Logo Needed, had these impressions after listening to the interview:
After listening to Mike Holmgren speak on 950 AM in Seattle today, one thing specifically jumped out at me:
He was offered the house by owner Randy Lerner.
It seemed, to me, Holmgren skated around the issue of what exactly he was offered, which didn't surprise me. He did mention it was up to him to tell Lerner what capacity he wanted to work with the Browns. This was a little discouraging. In other words, if Holmgren wants to be the head coach and general manager, that is on the table.
Lerner has made it pretty clear that Holmgren is the guy he wants running the Browns. The offer presented to Holmgren, both lucratively (reportedly $8 to $10 million) and in terms of how much power he would have, seem pretty tough to turn away.
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