Cedric Tillman signs rookie contract with Cleveland Browns
Cedric Tillman has signed his rookie contract with the Cleveland Browns, the team announced on Tuesday. Tillman is the fourth of Tennessee’s five-man 2023 NFL Draft class to sign with his new team.
Spotrac estimates Tillman’s contract to be worth $5.568 million, including a $1.091 million signing bonus. Tillman was the No. 77 overall pick in the draft, selected by the Browns in the third round.
Hendon Hooker, the No. 68 overall pick by the Detroit Lions and one of four Tennessee players selected in the third round, signed his contract on Friday. Signings for Darnell Wright and Jalin Hyatt were announced on Monday.
Wright’s rookie contract with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him at No. 10 overall in the first round, was announced on Monday and is valued at $20.968 million, including $12.249 million signing bonus. Hooker, the No. 68 overall pick to the Detroit Lions, signed his rookie contract last week, valued at $5.719 million, including $1.159 million as a signing bonus.
Edge rusher Byron Young, the No. 77 overall pick, taken in the third round by the Los Angeles Rams, is the only Tennessee player to not sign yet.
Hyatt’s valued by Spotrac at $5.610 million, including a $1,091 million signing bonus. The Giants picked Hyatt in the third round of the NFL Draft, selecting him at No. 73 overall.
Tillman was a three-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting cycle, added to Tennessee’s class late in the process out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. In five seasons with the Vols, he caught 109 passes for 1,622 yards and 17 touchdowns.
He had a breakout senior season in 2021, catching 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns before being slowed by a high-ankle sprain last season, after returning to Tennessee for a fifth season.
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“I’m confident,” Tillman said during his introductory press conference in Cleveland. “Playing in the SEC, I feel like it’s going to get me prepared for the NFL. It’s going to be different challenges and better players on this level, so I’m just looking forward to it.”
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson wears jersey No. 4, the number Tillman starred in at Tennessee. He’ll wear No. 89 in Cleveland. Tillman said after he was drafted that Watson was one of the people he heard from.
“I got a text from him,” Tillman said. “He just told me that he was excited. He’s ready to work. He said to take in the moment and just enjoy the night. He’s ready to work and ready to go. Same here.”
Tillman is a second generation NFL draftee. His father, also named Cedric Tillman, was an 11th-round pick, taken at No. 305 overall, in the 1992 NFL Draft. He caught 87 passes for 1,227 yards and seven touchdowns over four seasons, playing three with the Denver Broncos and one with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“My dad, obviously he coached me up and stuff like that, but he wasn’t too, too bad on me,” Tillman said when asked if he felt any pressure from his dad. “He just kind of let me be me and he was always supportive of me.
“It’s cool, the second-generation thing. Me, obviously, I always want to compete against him, like an older brother. I want to be better than him. But that’s been cool.”
