Getty Images Browns tight end David Njoku.
The Cleveland Browns and tight end David Njoku have been working towards a massive new deal, which could be coming soon if the former first-round pick’s social media is to be believed.
Shortly after the Browns re-signed Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal to keep him in Cleveland, Njoku took to social media to weigh in.
“Guess it’s my turn,” Njoku wrote in an Instagram story, reposting a photo from Myles Garrett celebrating the Clowney signing.
“guess it’s my turn..🫡”
Njoku extension coming next? 🤔 #Browns
Last season Njoku played out his fifth-year option with the Browns, finishing with the third-most receiving yards among Browns players, with 475 yards on 36 receptions — a solid 13.2 average. The Browns hit him with the franchise tag this offseason that will pay him just over $10 million per season. However, Njoku has been clear he wants to be in a Browns uniform for the foreseeable future.
“I honestly want to be here for the rest of my career, so my agent and the Browns are still in talks, we’re still negotiating, figuring out what we can do, and we’ll go from there,” Njoku said during his exit interview on January 10.
Browns Have Offered Njoku Massive Deal: Report
The Browns have offered Njoku a long-term deal that would pay around $13 million per year, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“The Browns showed they value Njoku this offseason by making him a long-term contract offer,” Fowler wrote on May 18. “The buzz around the league is the offer values more than $13 million per year, an impressive number for someone with just 1,754 receiving yards over five seasons. However, Njoku appears poised for a breakout with [Deshaun] Watson as the new quarterback in Cleveland.”
That’d make him a top-five paid player at his position, with only George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Dallas Goedert and Mark Andrews making more on a per-year basis.
Njoku Has Had Uneven Career in Cleveland
Njoku has been open recently about confessing his love for Cleveland but that hasn’t always been the case. Njoku demanded a trade prior to the 2020 season, which general manager Andrew Berry swiftly rejected. After a miserable year under one-year head coach Freddie Kitchens, Njoku found himself buried on the depth chart, with the Browns paying a hefty sum for free agent tight end Austin Hooper (four years, $42 million) and drafting Harrison Bryant in the fourth round.
Njoku has worked himself back into the good graces of the team, particularly head coach Kevin Stefanski, who loves his tight ends. Hooper is now gone and Njoku is poised for a breakout with Deshaun Watson now under center in Cleveland.
“David is a guy over the course of the last couple of seasons who has shown great growth as a player and as a person,” Stefanski told reporters on January 8. “The way he is playing on the field and the things that we are asking him to do, I think he is doing a really nice job. I think the tape speaks for itself. He has grown as a professional. He is still a young man so he is continuing to grow as a person, as well.”
Njoku and the Browns are set to kick off OTAs on Tuesday in Berea.