Browns Free Agency 2012: Kicker Phil Dawson Given The Franchise Tag

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First it was Tiger Woods thinking of quitting golf to join the Navy SEALS, now it’s Peyton Hillis contemplating retirement to join the CIA. Pretty crazy, huh? Hillis thinks so, telling the Cleveland Plain Dealer he has no idea where that rumor, first reported by ESPN, came from. “It makes me sound insane,” Hillis said.

↵“That’s ridiculous,” he added. “I never one time mentioned anything to any coach about retirement or joining the CIA or anything like that. It’s 100 percent false. I don’t know who came up with a story like that, but they should’ve come up with a better one to make it sound more legit.”

Dawson has been in the league for 13 years. He converted 24 of 29 field goal attempts last season.

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This means Hillis will become an unrestricted free agent on March 13 and available to sign with any team.

Where the story gets bizarre is that ESPN reports Hillis considered retirement after last season. And, even more bizarre, is that Hillis considered joining the CIA.

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There’s no word on the length of the deal or the terms involved.

Jackson was widely expected to receive the franchise tag had the two sides not reached a deal. The franchise tag would have guaranteed him around $9 million in 2012 so it’ll be interesting to see what the final numbers on his deal look like.

Mike Freeman of CBS Sports reports that the Browns organization is split on what to do about their star running back.

The draft route would certainly be the cheaper option for the Browns, but only time will tell what the team decides to do.