Cleveland Browns: Why David Njoku got paid and Austin Hooper got cut

Njoku’s deal with the Cleveland Browns is too extravagant

Readers of this space are aware that this author has supported David Njoku throughout his career, even when he was a fifth string in the Freddie Kitchens era (no kidding, the Browns had Demetrius Harris, Ricky Seals-Jones, Pharaoh Brown, Stephen Carlson, and Njoku was a healthy scratch once or twice).

However, there is a difference between liking a player well enough to give him a $10.9 million dollar guaranteed contract via the franchise tag, and loving him so madly that we think he is worth $54 million, over four years.

Why did the Browns give him a pay raise when they didn’t have to? Ultimately, this indeed is a bad idea because the franchise tag is a great opportunity, and the 2023 roster is too crowded already. But before blasting Andrew Berry totally, let’s list the “pros” of going multiyear with Njoku:

• First, the Browns get a first-year discount, and the 2022 cap hit is only $3.3 million versus $10.9 million, a “savings” of $7.6 million on the 2022 salary cap.
•  Second, the consensus view of many fans and media members is that NFL revenues (and with it the salary cap allowance) are headed through the stratosphere in 2023, 2024, and 2025, now that Covid is over. Hence, the salaries of players such as DeShaun Watson, Amari Cooper, and now Njoku will be much easier to afford. There’s a certain amount of truth to that. Even if the economy is going down the dumper, inflation might be the friend of greedy NFL general managers!
• Third, if the Browns decide to trade Njoku in 2023, they can probably get something for him right away. If he were to have left as an unrestricted free agent, the Browns might get a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2024. Being awarded a compensatory draft pick depends upon the Browns losing more qualifying free agents than they gain, up to three. That cannot be foreseen with certainty. On the other hand, if Njoku suffers a career-threatening injury or just has a terrible year, the Browns might have to eat his contract just as they have had to eat Hoopers.

All that is fine, but the franchise tag for tight ends was a rather sweet deal for NFL teams this season. Salaries seem to run in cycles, and for whatever reason, tight ends seem to be a great value right now. A one-year deal at a low rate favors the team; a four-year deal a higher rate favors the player. So why would the team elect the higher rate and longer deal if they do not have to?

Why not at least find out if the Browns have a starting quarterback in 2022? It’s not obvious what Deshaun Watson’s availability will be, nor is it clear how Baker Mayfield’s drama will play out. Both situations could impact the salary cap situation significantly.

To be blunt, Njoku and his agent didn’t seem to have leverage in this situation. Hence the motivation for signing this contract at all is hazy at best and the reason for doing it so early is particularly strange.

The one-year franchise tag was a very low risk situation for the Browns, whereas the multi-year deal has needlessly assumed a high risk with a questionable payoff. Njoku has to emerge as a next-level, Pro Bowl-caliber tight end to break even with this experiment. It is possible that he is that good, but this is not a slam dunk.

The next page is mainly for those who are gluttons for punishment, or if you have children who have misbehaved and you wish to frighten them before bedtime. Page three goes into additional gory detail about Austin Hooper’s terrible contract.