David Njoku Rumors: Browns TE Expected to Get Contract 'North of $10M per Year' in FA

The Cleveland Browns are reportedly looking to keep free-agent tight end David Njoku, but it will cost them.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the AFC North team has "a significant contract on the table for Njoku, and execs have predicted to me that he will get north of $10 million per year on a deal. All of this is why the Browns could franchise-tag him by the deadline."

Fowler noted Cleveland already has Austin Hooper's $11.25 million cap hit for the upcoming season at the tight end spot but prefers to use multiple players at the position in its offense.

Expectations were high for Njoku after the Browns selected him with a first-round pick in 2017, and the results have been mixed.

He appeared well on his way to a productive career when he posted 56 catches for 639 yards and four touchdowns in his second season, but he has never topped those totals at any point in his career.

Injuries limited him to just four games in 2019, and he was a secondary factor in 2020 with 19 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns. The Miami product was better this past season with 36 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns, but the game-changing plays many envisioned have yet to consistently materialize.

Njoku's combination of athleticism and size at 6'4" makes him a matchup nightmare, and the presence of other playmakers such as Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. in the offense figured to free him up at times.

While that didn't lead to major production, he is still just 25 years old with plenty of potential.

That he is expected to make more than $10 million on an annual basis as he approaches free agency underscores that reality, and the Browns apparently want to make sure he doesn't reach his full potential somewhere else.