Cleveland Browns place franchise tag on former Miami star

The Cleveland Browns have used their franchise tag on former Miami Hurricanes tight end David Njoku, which means he will absolutely be with the team for the 2022 campaign.

Browns TE David Njoku has been franchised, per source. First one officially filed.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 7, 2022

The former Hurricane does not have jaw dropping stats while playing for the Browns. But that has more to do with Cleveland’s smash-mouth style offense than it has to do with Njoku’s capabilities. With his six-foot-four 264-pound frame, he is easily a prime target for quarterback Baker Mayfield in the passing game. And with that size and strength, Njoku is a solid run blocking tight end when he’s on the field.

The Cleveland Browns brass has praised the former Miami star for his work ethic and commitment despite being linked to trade rumors over the years. He’s coming off back-to-back years where he remained healthy and played in all four games. Over the last two years, Njoku has posted 88 receptions for 1,025 yards and eight touchdowns, while playing a significant role in the blocking scheme to help propel former Georgia running back Nick Chubb.

The two sides have until the middle of July to work out a deal. Njoku could simply sign the tender which is worth $11 million for this season.

The expectation is the two sides will work out a longer term extension. Njoku, who has expressed a desire to sign a long-term deal with the Cleveland Browns, would like to secure his future. The Browns not only like Njoku as a player within their offense, but a long term deal would give them some flexibility in how they structure the contract.

For now, Njoku is kept off the open market and it focuses the negotiations between his agent and the Cleveland Browns.

 According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, the Browns have been talking with Njoku’s agent for months and they are willing to pay him over $10 million per year so that he doesn’t hit the open market. The pickle in this whole situation doesn’t involve whether Njoku is worth it, though — it’s questioning whether it makes sense, given the relative mistake that Austin Hooper’s contract turned out to be.

Does this mean the Cleveland Browns are moving on from Austin Hooper?

The Browns are heavily invested at the tight end position and the franchise tag with the intention of extending tight end David Njoku represents a larger commitment. That combined with a poor season by Austin Hooper has provided speculation that the Browns would move on from Hooper’s contract.

According to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cleveland Browns plan to keep Hooper along with Njoku and Harrison Bryant, who looks he might be primed for a larger role in the offense.

I'm told the Browns' plan is to keep Austin Hooper along with David Njoku, despite Njoku's franchise tag of $10.9 million. Hooper is due $9.5M in salary in the third of a four-year deal.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 8, 2022

Hooper will be entering his third season with the Browns. Hooper’s cap hit this year is set to be $13.25 million. However, a lot of that is guaranteed money — if Cleveland decided to cut him, they’d only be saving $2 million. It would almost be counter-productive to cut Hooper, especially because he does still provide value.