Browns Quinn signs, ends holdout

Brady Quinn, drafted No. 22, may have missed enough drills that he won t be able to beat out QBs Charlie Frye or Derek Anderson.

BEREA, Ohio Brady Quinn has some catching up to do.

The quarterback signed a five-year contract last night with the Cleveland Browns, ending an 11-day holdout that essentially eliminated his chances to begin the season as the team s starter.

After agreeing to terms, Quinn flew in from Arizona, where he had been working out, and signed his first pro contract shortly after arriving at the Browns training facility.

He s scheduled to appear at a news conference this morning before practicing for the first time this summer with his teammates.

He missed 16 practices during his holdout.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel noted that Quinn looked lost when he practiced with the team in May and has a long way to go.

He ll get here early and he ll stay late. I know if you put those kind of hours in and study, you ll have a chance. Plus, I believe he s a smart kid also on reports by some people I know, a grinning Crennel said, referring to Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis.

The deal, worth $20.2 million, with $7.75 million guaranteed, could reach $30 million over five years with incentives.

Quinn s absence has all but ensured he will not win the Browns starting job, which has become a two-man contest between Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson. Quinn has missed 16 practices.

It s unfortunate that it took this long to get done, Savage said. I feel like it s a deal that we potentially could have done at the start of camp.

Quinn, a four-year starter at Notre Dame, was projected as a top 10 pick in April s draft.

When he slipped deeper into the first round, the Browns traded a 2008 first-round pick to Dallas and selected the Ohio native and childhood Browns fan at No. 22.

During Quinn s holdout, Crennel coldly referred to him as the quarterback and not by name. He continued to refer to him that way yesterday.