Ever so slowly, the league’s first-round draft picks are beginning to sign.  And in a sign of continued torment, the Oakland Raiders have yet again stuck it to our Browns.

First, Red Right 88 – and now this…

McClain Signs With Raiders

Details of McClain’s deal were not released by the NFL team, but a league source told ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter that McClain signed a five-year deal worth $40 million that included $23 million guaranteed.

Why is this important?  Does anyone in Cleveland truly care about Rolando McClain? 

You should – and not because he’s likely to become an excellent middle linebacker – but rather yet again, the Raiders have completely skewed the league’s rookie salary slotting “system.”

Of course, such a system doesn’t truly exist – and with the Raiders still in the league, it’s becoming more of a suggestion.

As it relates to the Browns, the mega-contract Oakland gave to last year’s seventh overall draft pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey, has set the bar for Joe Haden – taken at the exact spot a few months ago. 

If such a system proves reliable as a precedent, Haden instantly becomes overpriced. 

And now the McClain contract – which is roughly a four million dollar bump from last year’s eighth overall draft pick – may make things even tougher on the Browns in their efforts to get Haden signed by the weekend.

Despite the best efforts – and wishes of those involved in the contract talks….

Holmgren Press Conference

On Joe Haden’s negotiations: ”I think he could be in on (Saturday). We’re making progress. We’re going to negotiate fairly and honestly. With the No. 1 picks, you just need a domino to (fall) and then it starts to happen. We’ve had good discussions with Joe’s agent and hopefully he’ll get in without too much loss of time. It’s very important. I’ve experienced this with a lot of athletes, that they wait too long.”

As for that “domino”, I think the sound coming from the Bay area was more like a bridge collapsing….one that connects the Raiders to the rest of the NFL….and reality in general.

Anyway, regarding Haden – it’s probably not a huge deal if a contract impasse lingers for the next several days.  Given the inflated parameters of a potential contract that Browns’ management are dealing with, it’s more likely that an eventual Haden deal will come only after Seattle signs the sixth overall pick, Russell Okung.

In many ways, it’s probably unlikely that Haden will challenge for an early starting spot, given the team’s offseason signing of Sheldon Brown and Eric Mangini’s penchant for playing veterans.  However, in the grand scheme of the Browns’ defense, it’s worth noting that a lingering Haden holdout means the following:

The longer Haden remains away from camp – the longer Brandon McDonald remains on the Browns’ roster….which means we’ll all be witnesses to the following tackling clinics….

Which means we are now clearly in panic mode.