With nine years of NFL service time, David Njoku earned the right to test free agency for the first time in his career. It made sense for him after extension talks with the Cleveland Browns hit a dead end. It made sense for the team, too, after Harold Fannin Jr. emerged as a viable weapon for the Browns’ offense during the 2025 season.
But after Njoku went unsigned through the initial waves of free agency this spring, it’s surprising that the two sides never reconvened to hammer out a new deal.
Njoku wound up landing with the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this month on a one-year deal that was reported to be worth up to $8 million. The two most important words in that sentence are “up to,” as it’s the guaranteed money that tells the real story about a player’s market.
As expected, Njoku’s contract is loaded with incentives. The full details, reported by Spotrac on Wednesday, should have fans all asking the same question: Why isn’t Njoku in Berea preparing for a 10th season with the Browns right now?
This is reasonable by the Chargers, who beat the Browns for blocking TE Charlie Kolar early in free agency. Njoku is a depth piece and low-cost flier in what they hope will be a long season. https://t.co/UJN3FkfxcU
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) May 27, 2026
As one fan wrote in response to Spotrac's tweet: "Insane value. I don't understand it."
David Njoku’s bargain 1-year contract should have Browns fans questioning everything
Njoku did pen a goodbye post to Browns fans prior to the start of the league year. It’s possible that after his contract voided with Cleveland, the two sides mutually agreed to go their separate ways.
But Njoku’s 2026 cap hit, per Spotrac, is just $2.95 million. He’ll end up taking home $3 million in cash this year unless he ends up tapping into an additional $5 million in incentives.
In a Chargers tight end room that includes an ascending pass-catching option in Oronde Gadsden, and a more traditional in-line option in Charlie Kolar (a player brimming with upside), it seems unlikely that Njoku would enjoy a major breakout season. As his contract projects, the Chargers view him more as elite veteran depth.
Browns fans have a right to wonder why their team wouldn’t value Njoku in a similar role. Cleveland currently has nothing but question marks behind Fannin, who carried the Browns’ passing game through chunks of the 2025 season and wound up injured at the end. The Browns currently have two Day 3 rookies in Joe Royer and Carsen Ryan, and a borderline practice squad player in Jack Stoll, competing for their No. 2 tight end role. To say that group is underwhelming would be an understatement.
The Chargers were in a similar boat to Cleveland entering 2026 free agency. Gadsden was a 2025 draft pick who emerged as a legitimate No. 1 starter. They landed Kolar — a player with strong ties to Browns head coach Todd Monken from their time together in Baltimore — as the primary complement to Gadsden and later added Njoku at a major bargain.
A Browns depth chart of Fannin, Njoku, and Kolar would have popped off Cleveland’s training camp roster this summer. Instead, GM Andrew Berry appears to be going with a cost-effective approach at the position, with first- and second-year players on rookie contracts and a veteran in Stoll signed to a one-year deal with no guaranteed money.
Through that lens, Njoku’s extremely cost-effective contract with the Chargers only leaves more questions for Cleveland’s front office.
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