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NGT: Browns TE David Njoku 4-Year Contract Extension

M.S. : 5/28/2022 7:32 am

Terms of deal: $56.75 Million; $28 Million guaranteed. "The deal nets Njoku $14.1875 million per season -- the fourth-highest average in the NFL at his position, per NFL Research."

The 2017 1st Round TE Troika Class has now reached a second contract and the marketplace has spoken. O.J. Howard was the 19th pick and has signed a reported 1-Year deal worth $3.5 million that could reach $5 Million with incentives.

Our very own Evan Engram was the 23rd pick and has signed a reported 1-Year deal with Jacksonville worth $9 Million fully guaranteed that could reach $10 Million with incentives.

Of the three, O.J. Howard ended up with the worst deal even though he was picked before the other two. Such are the vagaries of the NFL Draft. David Njoku was the 29th pick and one can assume based on his contract the best of the three.

In comparing Evan Engram with David Njoku, both have played in 65 NFL games, but Engram far surpasses Njoku in passes caught (262 vs 148) and receiving yardage (2,828 vs 1,754.) So, why the robust second deal for Njoku and the 1-year prove-it deal for Engram? My assumption is Njoku can block, and Engram cannot.

Link - ( New Window )
Jersey kid too  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 5/28/2022 7:39 am : link
right?
I thought Cleveland was ready to dump Njoku a couple of times in the  
Ivan15 : 5/28/2022 7:55 am : link
Past until this past season. Stats apparently don’t tell the whole story but I think Cleveland is headed for cap hell. They better have the right players in place now because they aren’t going to be able to shop much longer.
Looks like Cleveland is going all out for a run this year  
ZogZerg : 5/28/2022 8:04 am : link
When Watson's contract fully kicks in, they are going to have to start cutting some of these guys.

This contract appears to be an overpay, but maybe that is the "Baker Mayfield" factor?

They figure Mayfield sucked so bad all the receivers under-performed.
Cap savings I suspect.  
Pepe LePugh : 5/28/2022 8:08 am : link
Njoku was already under contract for almost $11M, so the extension probably saves a bunch for this year. Plus other than Amari Cooper, they’re pretty short on targets for their $230M QB.
This is all people have to look at.  
robbieballs2003 : 5/28/2022 8:09 am : link
Quote:
Travis Kelce signed a 4 year, $57,250,000 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including $22,750,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $14,312,500.


This Njoku contract makes no sense.
How does someone value Engram at $9m per  
BillT : 5/28/2022 8:10 am : link
Just glad it wasn’t us.
That’s a very surprising deal for Njoku  
Ben in Tampa : 5/28/2022 8:16 am : link
Who has really been a good boy great player.
RE: How does someone value Engram at $9m per  
M.S. : 5/28/2022 8:29 am : link
In comment 15720175 BillT said:
Quote:
Just glad it wasn’t us.

Seems high, but it is for just one year.
That’s a ton of money  
JoeyBigBlue : 5/28/2022 8:31 am : link
For a guy who had 2 games last season with over 50 yards receiving.
RE: RE: How does someone value Engram at $9m per  
BillT : 5/28/2022 8:35 am : link
In comment 15720183 M.S. said:
Quote:
In comment 15720175 BillT said:


Quote:


Just glad it wasn’t us.


Seems high, but it is for just one year.

We paid him $7m for his fifth year. That was for just one year and was, I believe, a massive overpay.
3 very disappointing Tight Ends from that 2017 Draft  
Jimmy Googs : 5/28/2022 8:48 am : link
where Reese needed to be better.

Stupid contract for Njoku as well, $28M guaranteed?? For what...
RE: This is all people have to look at.  
UConn4523 : 5/28/2022 8:50 am : link
In comment 15720174 robbieballs2003 said:
Quote:


Quote:


Travis Kelce signed a 4 year, $57,250,000 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including $22,750,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $14,312,500.



This Njoku contract makes no sense.


I don't usually call NFL contracts horrific since its usually overly dramatic, but this is certainly up there.

Njoku has been an afterthought in the NFL. A complete non-factor the majority of his career. Very strange. Only thing I can think of is that the guarantees are front loaded to sync with Watson's low year 1, but who knows.
RE: RE: This is all people have to look at.  
Big Blue '56 : 5/28/2022 8:53 am : link
In comment 15720198 UConn4523 said:
Quote:
In comment 15720174 robbieballs2003 said:


Quote:




Quote:


Travis Kelce signed a 4 year, $57,250,000 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including $22,750,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $14,312,500.



This Njoku contract makes no sense.



I don't usually call NFL contracts horrific since its usually overly dramatic, but this is certainly up there.

Njoku has been an afterthought in the NFL. A complete non-factor the majority of his career. Very strange. Only thing I can think of is that the guarantees are front loaded to sync with Watson's low year 1, but who knows.


In all fairness, this IS Cleveland we’re talking about..
It's possible (although I sorta doubt it)  
M.S. : 5/28/2022 9:10 am : link

that we are all just a little too close to Evan Engram and maybe TOO acutely aware of his silly/crazy plays over the years, such as:

(1) Having the ball go off his hands for an INT;
(2) Settling in coverage when he should have kept moving;
(3) Moving when he should have settled down;
(4) Air-blocking a defender and injuring himself in the effort.

And that's not all.

But, then again, maybe we've been too harsh on the guy and have not fully appreciated the stats he HAS put up despite playing for inept offenses.
RE: It's possible (although I sorta doubt it)  
BillT : 5/28/2022 9:14 am : link
In comment 15720206 M.S. said:
Quote:

that we are all just a little too close to Evan Engram and maybe TOO acutely aware of his silly/crazy plays over the years, such as:

(1) Having the ball go off his hands for an INT;
(2) Settling in coverage when he should have kept moving;
(3) Moving when he should have settled down;
(4) Air-blocking a defender and injuring himself in the effort.

And that's not all.

But, then again, maybe we've been too harsh on the guy and have not fully appreciated the stats he HAS put up despite playing for inept offenses.

It’s not the plays he makes which are ok even with the drops. It’s what he does or doesn’t do for the other 55 plays.
Some explanation of Njoku's evolution  
shyster : 5/28/2022 9:45 am : link
in the linked article.

The Browns can see a guy who has developed ability in all phases and they don't want to let him go and see another team benefit from that development.

The stats don't shout dramatic development but he was splitting time with Austin Hooper last year and Mayfield had the bad shoulder.

At the start of FA, PFF projected Njoku for a 3/37.5 deal.
fansided - ( New Window )
Sometimes I think these teams think that  
Blue21 : 5/28/2022 10:34 am : link
If they pay a player superstar money then they become superstars.
shyster's comment  
ColHowPepper : 5/28/2022 10:43 am : link
and actual Njoku signing reflect the increasing value of the position in the NFL. Giants have punted on the position for too many years. Successive coaching staffs, once they saw EE's limitations, misused him, not only in putting him in edge sealing play schemes where it was expected he would have to, gasp!, block, but also consistently sending him on crossing patterns in traffic. My impression is that patterns over the middle is where the predominant % of drops and deflections occurred.

He was much better, much more productive, on patterns to the outside/along the sidelines. Don't know if it was fear of being hit in the traffic and/or an inability to focus there, maybe the same.
RE: Sometimes I think these teams think that  
M.S. : 5/28/2022 11:00 am : link
In comment 15720253 Blue21 said:
Quote:
If they pay a player superstar money then they become superstars.

Or, maybe they feel they can get more out of the player than his original team.
Promising rookie  
Spiciest Memelord : 5/28/2022 11:12 am : link
but has sucked ass. Cleveland gonna Cleveland.
...  
MOOPS : 5/28/2022 11:48 am : link
In comment 15720201 Big Blue '56 said:


In all fairness, this IS Cleveland we’re talking about.


This is the first thing that came to mind.
RE: It's possible (although I sorta doubt it)  
Jimmy Googs : 5/28/2022 11:54 am : link
In comment 15720206 M.S. said:
Quote:

that we are all just a little too close to Evan Engram and maybe TOO acutely aware of his silly/crazy plays over the years, such as:

(1) Having the ball go off his hands for an INT;
(2) Settling in coverage when he should have kept moving;
(3) Moving when he should have settled down;
(4) Air-blocking a defender and injuring himself in the effort.

And that's not all.

But, then again, maybe we've been too harsh on the guy and have not fully appreciated the stats he HAS put up despite playing for inept offenses.



No we haven’t been too hard. He is a good athlete and a bad football player. Engram and his poor play and mistakes have hurt the Offense as much as anyone over the years.

The idea that couldn’t have been figured out over the last several seasons by our moron GM and taken a draft pick in trade when offered is just icing on the cake...
Strange contract  
eric2425ny : 5/28/2022 2:59 pm : link
He’s been hurt a lot so far in his career and hasn’t really been all that great. I mean they went out and paid Hooper a ton a few years ago because they seemingly didn’t think Njoku was the guy. I realize Hooper is gone now, but still odd.

I hate when teams do this because it just sets the contract bar even higher for players that are actually good.
same org gave hooper 4/44m with Njoku heading into year 3  
Eric on Li : 5/28/2022 3:06 pm : link
very bizarre decision making to say the least.

the only logic that might make a little sense is extending him now, before his stats improve with Watson and more playing time.

i've watched a lot of njoku going back to miami and im not sure he'll ever be more than an oversized big play guy kind of like Jared Cook. but in the new world of WR contracts and TE contracts to come (Waller) maybe they think it's worth the risk knowing they can always cut him a couple years down the line.
Engram  
stretch234 : 5/30/2022 12:03 pm : link
Get a OC who gets him into patterns on the run and he will have a big year.

He has ability to threaten defenses on the move

Continues to amaze me the last couple of years he was used primarily as a curl route player
I got criticized for saying Njoke was better than Engram...  
Grey Pilgrim : 5/30/2022 2:13 pm : link
:mad:
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