It did not take long for David Njoku to endear himself to fans of the Cleveland Browns.
He wasn’t only fun to watch — and productive — on the field, but was a local treasure off of it. He was great with the media and extremely outspoken about his love for Cleveland and desires to be there when the Browns finally get over the hump.
That makes Monday’s news hit home for Browns fans. Njoku revealed his plans to test free agency in an IG post that read like a farewell to the franchise that drafted him and the city that embraced him.
This move was expected, though, with Njoku’s contract set to void at the start of the 2026 league year. The Browns are facing an accelerated $24 million dead-salary cap charge, due to prior contract restructures, which complicated extension talks; he’s also entering his age 30 season and took a back seat to breakout rookie Harold Fannin Jr. in 2025.
The Browns are thus expected to use one of their two allotted post-June 1 designations on Njoku, an accounting measure that spreads his remaining cap dollars over two years. That decision allows Cleveland to move on with marginal immediate salary cap ramifications, while in turn giving Njoku a chance to test his market value and potentially land one more big contract.
TE David Njoku announced that he plans to sign elsewhere this free agent season, leaving the #Browns with $24.3M of (void year) dead cap on his way out.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) February 10, 2026
Cleveland will treat him as a Post 6/1 release, taking on dead hits of:
2026: $9,534,000
2027: $14,797,000
Njoku figures to have several free agent suitors, as versatile tight ends with his blend of creativity and physicality are hard to find in the NFL. It’s easy to see him joining an AFC contender, like with the New England Patriots or Kansas City Chiefs.
As for NFC landing spots? There’s one painfully obvious destination that’s already making Browns fans nauseous.
David Njoku’s Browns farewell opens door to a painful Falcons reunion
Ex-Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski could be in the market for a tight end, with current starter Kyle Pitts scheduled to be an unrestricted (and widely coveted) free agent.
Atlanta’s salary cap situation is better than Cleveland’s, but certainly not the best in the NFL. The Falcons also don’t pick until No. 48 overall in the 2026 draft, meaning savvy moves in free agency could be the key as the Stefanski regime begins to put its fingerprints on the roster.
Jacob Westendorf of Pro Football Network believes landing Njoku could be at the center of Stefanski’s first free agency haul with the Falcons.
“The Falcons’ offense is young at the skill positions, led by Bijan Robinson and Drake London. Njoku could be the piece they add to provide a veteran presence while maintaining impact in the tight end room and creating opportunities over the middle of the field in the passing game.”
Browns fans have spent the past few weeks wrapping their heads around the team’s polarizing decision to pick Todd Monken as head coach over defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Monken’s been winning people over, but the idea of his Browns struggling in Year 1, while Stefanski wins down in Atlanta, represents a nightmare scenario that no fan even wants to think about right now.
Watching a beloved Browns player like Njoku join Stefanski in Atlanta would only add to that pain, but that’s a brutal reality as the nine-year veteran prepares to test free agency in March.