On evaluating his 2021 season:
“Looking back and reflecting, obviously, we left a lot on the field, and I want to take personal blame for some of that. I feel like I could have done more. We all feel like we could have done more. We have to just turn to the next chapter and get back to work. Obviously, take a little vacation, take time off to reflect, relax and refocus, and in a couple of weeks, we have to hunker done and start from Phase 1 again.”
On an update on contract talks with the Browns and if he wants to return to the team or test the market in free agency:
“It is the same thing. I love it here. I love it here to the core. I honestly want to be here for the rest of my career. My agent and the Browns are still in talks, and we are still negotiating and figuring out what we can do. We will go from there.”
On if he is excited that the Browns can build on this past year with the players returning and getting healthier, including QB Baker Mayfield:
“Yes, I am excited to have everybody healthy and ready to go next season. Yes.”
On what his teammates have said to him about returning to the Browns for 2022 and his contract situation:
“They obviously hear about it. They are excited and hopeful that we do come to an agreement and I end up staying here. Yeah, we are all excited. These are exciting times. It is a lot of blood, sweat and tears that was put into these last few years. I owe it all to God. We just have to keep working. I am just going to go back to the drawing board, figure out what I have to perfect and what I have to do right or what I can do better and get back to work.”
On if he has a sense of ‘unfinished business’ in Cleveland, given the team reached the playoffs last season and its record since he joined the Browns:
“100 percent. What our goals are as a team and individually we have not done yet. More so team wise, it is our dream to bring a championship here in Cleveland. There is no question that we have unfinished business. It is a tough pill to swallow right now because we know how good we were on the roster, and we knew the talent that we had, but we just could not put it all together for whatever reason. Reflect, evaluate ourselves and our team and figure out what we can do to put our best foot forward in the upcoming future.”
On why the Browns were not collectively able to accomplish their goals:
“I can talk to you about this all day. I can just list a bunch of things, but I do not really want to point fault at whatever the case may be. We are a team so we win as a team, and we lose as a team. For whatever reason that we won and lost, we do that as a team together. Like I said, it is what it is. We have to get better. We have to pick up the pieces after this season, and we have to work and get better – plain and simple like that.”