Freddie Kitchens on Gerald McCoy: “We want people that want to be here”

[Chomps]

The Browns have a strong and clear message for anyone and everyone to hear. Except for running back Duke Johnson.

“I’m just going to shoot you straight,” coach Freddie Kitchens told reporters on Tuesday regarding defensive tackle Gerald McCoy‘s decision to sign with the Panthers. “We want people that want to be here. We want people that want to be here for the right reasons. Gerald made the best decision that he felt was best for him and his family. I wish Gerald nothing but the best. If there is any reservation at all, we do not want anybody to be here. We do not want any reservation about trying to convince someone to come here. What we are about to do, it is not for everybody. What we are going to attempt to do is not for everybody. It is going to take a lot of hard work and then we will see where we are at. That is all.”

Fine. Fair. Sensible. So if that’s how you feel, Freddie, why aren’t you trading Duke Johnson?

“He wants to be traded, you know,” Kitchens said. “I want to win the lottery, all right? So it doesn’t matter. He’s a Cleveland Brown. He’s under contract. He’s going to be used to the best of his ability and what benefits the team. And that’s what we’re going with.”

So we want people who want to be here, as long as they make their decision on whether they want to be here before they sign a contract. If they change their mind after that, too bad.

So there’s a clear conflicting in the messaging, as illustrated by Kitchens’ comments and amplified by quarterback Baker Mayfield‘s “you can get out of the way or you can join us” message from Tuesday. Duke Johnson wants to get out of the way, and the team won’t let him.