Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku signs blockbuster contract extension

The Browns have identified tight end David Njoku as a vital piece of their offense for years to come.

General Manager Andrew Berry has been saying as much for a while.

But actions speak louder than words, and the Browns are now doing much more than merely expressing confidence in Njoku.

The team and Njoku agreed Friday to a four-year contract extension worth a maximum of $56.75 million, including $28 million guaranteed at signing, a league source said, confirming an NFL Network report. Njoku is scheduled to make $25 million in the first two years of the deal, which will run through the 2025 season, the source said.

Njoku also confirmed a deal had been struck by thanking the Browns and others on Instagram.

"CLEEVEEEELANDDDD THIS IS FOR YOUUU!!! Truly Blessed through it all ! Thank you to the Browns organization and The Haslam Family," Njoku wrote. "Thankful for all my teammates past and present. Thankful for the DAWG POUND for the craaazy energy. Thank you [agent Malki Kawa]. None of this would’ve been possible without all of you. I appreciate all the love May God take all the glory!!!!

On Wednesday, the Browns announced Njoku had signed the deal.

“We are pleased to secure David Njoku’s presence in Cleveland with this extension,” Berry said in a news release. “David’s multi-faceted skill set in both the run and pass game is a key component of our offensive system. His ability to generate explosive plays with his athleticism, speed and run-after-catch ability along with his productivity as a blocker on the line of scrimmage is a difficult combination to find in a single player. We’ve seen David grow throughout his time here and are excited to see his best football over the next several seasons.”

The Browns used their franchise tag on Njoku in March to keep him from hitting unrestricted free agency. The two sides had been working toward an extension since last summer, and they had a deadline of 4 p.m. July 15 to sign a new deal or be stuck with the franchise tag at a cost of $10.931 million for next season.

The extension at its max value would make Njoku the fourth-highest paid tight end in the NFL in average annual salary ($14.188 million), according to spotrac.com. He would trail George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers, $15 million), Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs, $14.313 million) and Dallas Goedert (Philadelphia Eagles, $14.25 million).

Berry is obviously betting on Njoku reaching a Pro Bowl-caliber level, something he has yet to achieve.

In five NFL seasons, Njoku has started 36 of the 65 games in which he has appeared and caught 148 passes on 240 targets for 1,754 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“He's come a long way — I would say both on and off the field,” Berry said of Njoku in March during the NFL Scouting Combine. “That's a credit to him and how hard he's worked. I think David as a player, he's still 25 years old. I think he's close to maturity, and I think as his opportunities increase, his impact will grow.”

Njoku has been with the Browns since they traded up to draft him in the first round (29th overall) out of the University of Miami in 2017. At the time, Berry was the team's chief talent evaluator and held the title of vice president of player personnel.

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With Njoku awaiting an extension, he didn't report to Browns headquarters earlier this week for voluntary organized team activity practices. OTAs will resume Tuesday at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea.

Njoku made it clear at the end of last season he wanted to remain with the Browns, who disappointed in 2021 en route to a record of 8-9.

“I love it here. I love it here to the core," Njoku said on Jan. 10. "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.”

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Njoku's feelings about the Browns haven't always been warm and fuzzy. He wanted to leave Cleveland in 2020, when his former agent, Drew Rosenhaus, publicized a trade request that summer. Earlier that offseason, Berry had acquired two other tight ends, signing Austin Hooper in free agency to a four-year, $42 million contract and drafting Harrison Bryant in the fourth round. Njoku questioned how he would fit in the offense.

However, Njoku eventually rescinded the trade request, and the Browns allowed his $6.013 million fifth-year option to become guaranteed in March 2021. He played on the option last season, when he caught 36 passes on 53 targets for 475 yards and four touchdowns and in 16 games, 11 of which he started.

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Now Hooper is with the Tennessee Titans after being released in March, and Njoku is the Browns' clear-cut No. 1 tight end.

Berry must hope his decision to extend Njoku pans out better than the commitment he made to Hooper.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns tight end David Njoku signs contract extension