Rex Grossman Turned Down The Browns Starting Job Sunday Basically Because He Was Hosting Christmas and Wanted to Chill
(Source) The Browns quarterback room has tumbled into the abyss in the buildup to Week 17. With Brian Hoyer nursing a shoulder injury and rookie Johnny Manziel ruled out with the tweaked hamstring he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, Cleveland dialed up Rex Grossman about a job. The journeyman, though, didn’t bite.
ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler first reported Monday that the sides couldn’t hammer out logistics, especially with Grossman hosting family for the holidays. NFL Media’s Jeff Darlington later confirmed that Grossman, 34, has no desire to sign for the one-week league minimum. To be clear: The Browns have been turned down for candy canes, Yule Log on Channel 11 and a few boozy glasses of eggnog with the in-laws. Grossman’s declined RSVP leaves Cleveland all but certain to start undrafted rookie Connor Shaw on Sunday against the Ravens. Shaw showed moxie in the preseason, but four straight losses have squeezed any sense of hope out of this once-promising Browns campaign.
My gut reaction to this was poor Browns. Rex Grossman turning you down right in your face because he wants to sit on the couch and watch Christmas Story and drink Egg Nog. Can’t get sadder than that. But then I remembered something, this is the Sex Cannon we’re talking about here, chances are he said yes, under the sole condition that he gets to throw it deep 40 times and the Browns said no. And to be perfectly honest, I can’t really blame him. You don’t cage a songbird and you don’t tell Sex Grossman what to do. If the Browns want him as a backup or a game manager then he’s better off staying at home drinking whiskey and eating Christmas cookies.
PS
Alternate scenario, Rex Grossman said he’s in then went outside to run a couple of wind sprints, puked a few times, walked back inside called the Browns back, said no, then ate a whole ham.