CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
One day after releasing Jarvis Landry, the Cleveland Browns have cut ties with another veteran. On Tuesday, the Browns announced that they have released center JC Tretter.
The Browns' decision to release Tretter, who also serves as the president of the NFL Players Association, doesn't come as much of a surprise. In releasing the 31-year-old, Cleveland saves more than $8 million in cap space.
A product of Cornell who spent the first four years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, Tretter signed a three-year, $16.75 million contract with the Browns in 2017. Over the course of five seasons in Cleveland, he started in 80 regular-season games and didn't miss a single snap until missing the Browns' Week 16 matchup vs. the Packers after testing positive for COVID-19.
“For the past five seasons, JC has been a mainstay and iron man at center for us," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. "He came to our organization at a time of instability and was one of the key veterans that helped turn the tide over the past several years. His leadership—both within the locker room and the field—will be missed. We wish JC well as he continues his career.”
With Tretter no longer in the fold, Nick Harris move into Cleveland's starting lineup as the team's new center. Selected out of Washington in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the two-time All-Pac 12 selection has served as Tretter's primary backup for each of the past two seasons.