Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has admitted that he is hopeful of holding on to centre Alex Mack, despite strong interest from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Browns have used the transition tag on Mack, meaning that he could earn $10m (£5.9m) in 2014 alone if he remains with Haslam's team.
Haslam told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer: "We remain optimistic that Alex Mack will be a Cleveland Brown for a long time. We want him to be. I think we've made it very clear that he's the kind of person, the kind of player we want in our organisation."
If the Jags offer Mack a deal, Cleveland will have five days to match their offer after it is officially signed. If the Browns choose not to match the contract, they will not receive any compensation if they lose him.
It is believed that Haslam will do all he can to match or better any offer the Jaguars put on the table, although it is also understood that Mack might be keen to move on.
Mack has been with the Browns since being selected by the franchise during the 2009 Draft.
