Getty Tight end David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns.
David Njoku’s name continues to float around in trade rumors, although the Cleveland Browns tight end is adamant he’s not going anywhere, per his latest comments on social media.
Njoku was recently named in a Bleacher Report article listing trades that should be made before the 2021 season begins. Here was the reasoning for a possible deal that would send Njoku away from the team that drafted him No. 29 overall in the 2017 draft.
With tight ends Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant on the roster, Njoku may not be in Cleveland’s long-term plans.
The Jacksonville Jaguars should have an interest in Njoku. New franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence will most likely be asked to start from day one, but Jacksonville does not have a reliable pass-catching tight end to be his security blanket.
Well, don’t expect the former first-round pick to be going anywhere, at least if it’s up to him. Njoku reposted the story on Instagram breaking down the trade, writing: “I ain’t goin nowhere!”
#Browns TE David Njoku on Instagram: “I ain’t goin nowhere!!!!”
David Njoku Has Been Unsure of Future in Cleveland
With the additions of Hooper and Bryant, Njoku took on a smaller role, as expected. He finished last season with just 19 catches for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added five catches for 66 yards in the postseason and improved as a blocker, which was previously a weak point of his game previously.
The down year came after Njoku requested a trade prior to the season, later rescinding that demand. Njoku had his fifth-year option picked up by the Browns this offseason worth $6 million — a hefty price for a third-string tight end. He also did an interview with Jim Rome in February that made him sound anything but certain about his future with the Browns.
“That’s a good question,” Njoku told Rome about returning to the Browns. “I’m not going to answer that right now. I have no comment towards that at this moment. I’m just going to enjoy my family, my friends, and my loved ones. I have a couple of projects happening in the near future, so I’m just focused on the right now and I’ll let everything handle itself in the near future.”
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he had no inkling of Njoku not being happy in Cleveland and sees Njoku as a contributor going forward.
#Browns Kevin Stefanski on TE David Njoku sounding like he’s not sure he wants to be here
“David is somebody who I respect and value, the production he gave us on the field and the teammate he is,” Stefanski told reporters.”As it relates to him in particular, I am not aware of that. I know I have had a lot of conversations with a lot of players over the course of the season and over the course of many seasons so I will continue to have that dialogue with all of our guys to see where they are, but I am not aware of anything in particular with David.”
David Njoku on Browns Season: ‘Sky is the Limit’
Njoku has changed his tune of late and appears to be “all in” with the Browns, which he expressed in a tweet last month.
All In
While Njoku has had his differences with general manager Andrew Berry and the front office in the past, he gave the Browns front office big props on what they’ve been able to do to improve the roster.
“It says that they’re very focused on having the right tools to get where we want to be, potentially the Super Bowl,” Njoku said, per News 5 Cleveland. “They’ve done a great job and it’s up to us to follow suit.
The sky is the limit. We can really do this but it’s going to take all of us and there will be rainy days, there will be sunny days—ups and downs. It’s our job to finish the job.”
The Browns currently have odds of +1600 to win it all next season, per Vegas Insider, making them a top 10 contender.
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Browns TE David Njoku Responds to Latest Trade Rumor