locked up thru 5 years
Browns exercise 5th-year options for Myl... to extend both

I’m so excited we extended Njoku ... ...

Dudes more overrated on here than Higgs ...

I hope they have open communications about an extension or renegotiation for Myles. For Njoku, does that 5th year trade?

No one got extended.

Have we ever had the opportunity to use the fifth year option on one of our own picks?

Joe Thomas might have been the last, and only, one.

Maybe Haden, but maybe we locked him up first

Or Bitonio?

Not Bitonio because you only get the 5th year options on 1st rounder... and I think maybe only the top 15 or so picks of the 1st round

5th option is for all 1st rounders. That is why you see a lot of teams trading up into the end of the 1st for QBs

We didn’t even want to pick up the 5th month option on some of our past 1st round picks

It wasn’t around when he was entering his fifth year.

So, this is probably the first time we've ever done it. Wow.

Damarious Randall played on his fifth year option last year but we obviously didn’t draft him.

j/c

It is not my intention to derail this thread with the observation I'm making here. I'm also not naive to the point that this means that the contrary could or would never happen.

The public statements that the FO have made about players and their status on the team have been born out by their actions. Berry was asked at the top of his post-draft presser whether Njoku's future of the team was altered by the drafting of Harrison. He did not answer with a one-word "no", but he said in an Ivy-league sort of way, it was not affected by the Bryant selection. Berry stated that Njoku remained a part of their current and long-term plans.

He made statements about Vernon that indicated there were no plans to release him. So did Stefanski. They didn't say they would resign him but they both stated he is in their plan for the 2020 season.

I'm sure there will be times when we get a non-answer answer and there could come a time when a lie gets told, it's business after all. I don't get the sense they are inclined to be deceptive just because they can be.

The fifth year option came out of the last CBA in 2011. That means players drafted in the first round of draft from 2011 have been eligible for the fifth year option. None of the guys we have drafted since then have gotten the fifth year option. I don’t think any of them even finished their rookie contract with the team. Danny Shelton was the closest. These are the picks:

Phil Taylor
Trent Richardson
Brandon Weeden
Barkevious Mingo
Justin Gilbert
Johnny Manziel
Danny Shelton
Cam Erving
Corey Coleman

Off the top of my head, I think Shelton, Erving and Mingo were the only ones that even made it 5 years in the league (not just with the Browns). Right?

Phil Taylor lasted a little while I think. Didn't he go to New England for a bit?

Not sure. He did play for the Skins.

Good stuff, awesome, terrific talent we assembled.

Looking at that list ... it might be some of the worst consecutive drafting I’ve ever seen. Some years we even had multiple 1st round picks

I'm pretty sure we could go back ten years in the forum and find similar things being said about the first ten years of the team being back, too.

We might not be the Bungles, but we've kinda redefined what it means to be bad at drafting over the years.

never mind

Actually, didn't Phil Taylor leave the NFL for a while and then come back for a year or two?

IIRC Taylor played for Washington for a bit

Good news to wake up to this morning. Far and away, I am more excited about MG. Njoku, not nearly as much, but hope he has a year, which should easily pass last year. Still waiting for his light to come on. But quite a specimen, and, I think, considerable unrealized upside.

Tear it up, guys! Go, Browns!

The kid is still just 23 years old. He was getting better each year and in a new offense each year - until he broke his wrist. He can go up and get the ball hopefully he will continue to go up with reckless abandon. And not have fear cause of the break. I'm sure it hurt a lot when he tried coming back.

So was this done with Ski's approval or just a Berry thing?

I got a feeling Ski looking at the tape realized the kid has talent and again still just 23 an age of many rookies.

Has anyone notice these Steeler fan journalists have not mentioned Garrett's name at all in comparing players like Young and other or in any conversation about Defense. So they are ignoring him cause their wussy Steeler influence tells them to.

Improving every year? ... his best “streak” as a pro was in his rookie year ... and that was about a 4 game stretch or so if i recall correctly ...

Hope he finally does turn the corner and learns to catch better making him more consistent ...

IIRC, that magical half-year after the removal of Hue and Haley, Chief really played well. I remember reading he had 0 drops in that stretch. I would really like to see if he can return to that.

Yes. And some very tough catches as well...

I always hope that a Browns player can shake a negative rep that they've picked up, and from what I know Stefanski could be the one to tease that upside out of him. I think Njoku is a very potent #2 TE. He just isn't well-rounded enough to be an effective #1. No defense is going to believe us when we try to show that we're leaving him in to block. Dude is 100% route-runner/pass-catcher.... and along those lines, he tends to battle with loss of focus (leading to drops) now and then.

As he is, Njoku is a nice to have. Not a core guy.

I do like picking up a rookie option for Njoku because it’s a prove it deal. It’s probably the best way to motivate him

I suppose. Technically, it's two prove-it years now. But I guess they could always cut him in 2021 if he completely flops. However, I don't think that will be the case.

Yeah, i mean with Hooper in the fold, I think Njoku will actually excel too. I think he’ll have a decent two years

The fifth year option is not guaranteed unless Njoku gets injured to the point where he can’t pass a physical. If we cut him before it vests it is not guaranteed.

OBJ, VG, Hoop, Hunt ....

There oughta be a ton of targets for Njoku .. ...

I hope I’m wrong ... much rather he be good and not the over hyped TE he’s proven to be so i far ...

Good Luck David ...

I don't think so either, but I could see defenses losing track of him a play or two per game and him going for big chunks of yards.

I can see defenses losing track of lots of our guys regularly.... the only question will be can we see it in time to get the ball there?

I don't really care if Baker gets dubbed a one read QB - hopefully they do what needs to be done to help him find the mismatch/open receiver. Whether that's flooding one side, whether that's giving Baker a post read decision to read only one side of the field ... whatever it takes. I think Stefanski will find a way to let Baker be successful or not based on Baker's ability. Can't wait to see.

I don't care what he gets called or classified as long as it's competent and effective in running that offense.

I've never seen an offense so loaded... if it doesn't roar, it's on him.

Jabrill Peppers had his option pick up too. 3/3

About Njoku, if you look at his first year,
when I did 2 years ago, seems

When they did rarely throw it his way he had a lot of big gains and touchdowns, I felt if they'd only use him more he'd be real star worthy.

I don't think there is anything holding him back except coaching, and scheme.

and consistency with his hands, and his blocking.

Myles Garrett is the only one out of the top five picks to have his fifth year option exercised.

Going into 2019 I thought Njoku was going to be a weapon especially in the red zone.

It didn't work out that way. He got hurt then fell out of favor with the coaching staff.

This year is a prove it year for him. He has to show that he can be a complete TE.

Now he will have real competition with the addition of Hooper and Bryant.

It is all on him.

He has seemed less of a weapon than his physical specs suggest he should be. My expectations exceed his play. Seems he could do more and should. Last year and FK didn't help. Hope he gets better; I see him as trade bait later if it isn't locked down tight soon.

May be wrong, but better have the light pop on soon.

How do you think Njoku is going to prove it this year?

At best he's the TE #2 on a team that just signed a TE to the richest TE package in football. Hooper had 97 targets and 75 receptions last year with Atlanta. Do you really think that the Browns expect him to give up 50% of his targets to Njoku after giving him that contract? Or maybe, Njoku can steal those targets from OBJ and Landry which isn't going to happen.

Outside of injury, Njoku is looking at about 30 targets top for the entire season. MIN TE's last year were only targeted 105 times with 83 receptions and they played 2-TE sets 57% of the time. Keep in mind that's only 8 more targets than Hooper had all by himself in Atlanta. That would mean that Njoku's main purpose of being on the field is to block which is his weakest area outside of his hands.

So now the question is do you move Njoku in a trade where teams are forced to look at his 2018 stats since he was injured in 2019 or do you wait a year and be stuck with Njoku because he only had 30 targets, been exposed as a poor blocker, and sitting on a 6-million dollar salary because the Browns extended him and now no one will take that heavy contract for such poor production?

Or a worst situation would be the idea of splitting those targets to about 50 a piece and then trying to explain why you signed a TE for 44-million with 23 million guaranteed to cut his production level by 50%. Not to mention that then the Browns would be forced to extend Njoku with a contract more expensive than what they are paying Hooper.

If the Browns don't unload Njoku now while his value is still somewhat high, they will be stuck with him for the next 2-years unless they cut him after this year proving they blew another 1st round pick. I also don't believe the Browns will be running 2-TE sets nearly as much as MIN did in 2019. They had issues at WR and the Browns had the 3rd best yds per carry last year using 2-TE sets about 35% of the time. If this becomes true, Njoku's value drops even further for the Browns.

What about his playing time last season makes you think he's worth any more now than he might be with a healthy 2020 season? To me that's no more than total speculation based on conjecture.

I'm not sure how much player salaries goes into game planning. Sure, the largest salaries generally to the biggest play-makers, but if a lower priced player is being more productive, I doubt the HC is going to go with the player making more money. I'm speaking generally, not specific to Hooper/Njoku. My point is salaries become less important when the goal is winning games.

In this specific case, I agree with you. There was a path in keeping Njoku on the team, and his 5th year option was it. I would hope that the coaching staff wouldn't keep him just for his blocking. They have to have some sort of pass-catching role for him. Njoku's skill set seems to be more for big chunk plays... not so much as the reliable security blanket.

Good news, there is absolutely no reason to NOT try and sign Myles to a long term deal. He is a physical freak, a very good football player and despite his incident, he is a very quality person. He deserves a big money deal, he has 30 sacks in 35 games start in his career.

He had 10 in 10 games last season. He is 24 years old, his best years are in front of him.

Pay the man when it's time.

Plus you might be able to allocate a significant amount of his guaranteed money on the books in 2020 if other players are worthy of large extensions in future years.

Myles Garrett As The Dark Knight
https://www.si.com/nfl/browns/browns-maven-features/myles-garrett-as-the-dark-knight



A young man having a bad day needed to get his phone replaced only to find he didn't have the money. Feeling defeated, he was surprised to find Myles Garrett there, volunteering to pay off the balance and give him a break. In response to a tweet about a Browns fan's family who lost everything in a house fire as they had just welcomed a new baby into the world, Garrett drove three and a half hours to show up and surprise the family, gifts in hand.

Those are a couple of examples of acts by the Cleveland Browns defensive end that have endeared him to a fanbase as well as a community. There is no shortage of people who revile Garrett for the actions he took against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, hitting him with his helmet, resulting in a season-ending suspension. Many who love the Browns see a kindhearted man who made an awful mistake that will stick with him the rest of his life. And as much as everyone was stunned and horrified by the event, the person Garrett has often shown himself to be away from the football field is what has allowed fans to accept him despite the egregious misstep. It's easy to view Garrett as a villain, but for those people whose lives he's touched, he is a hero; a hero with a fateful flaw.

115 dollars isn't a significant amount of money to Garrett, especially considering the contract extension he's poised to sign with the Browns, but it was a significant amount of money to the young man who needed a break in that moment. A family that should've been celebrating the birth of a new child was instead reeling from the tragedy of losing their home. Giving up a day was a small gesture for Garrett by contrast, but it was everything to them in that moment.

Garrett isn't stopping street come, foiling bank robberies or leaving criminals tied up for the police to find and arrest.

At least not yet.

So far as the public knows.

His physical prowess might flirt with possessing super powers, but Garrett is just a guy who sees opportunities, often right in front of him, to step up and make differences in the lives of people, basically saying, "Why not me?"

Garrett didn't seek out credit in either case. It only drew notice when the people impacted by his kind gestures posted them on social media and it grew organically. Cynicism may naturally lead some to assume that Garrett is doing these deeds to buy good will in an effort to rehab his image, especially in the wake of his suspension, but that's never been the way he's operated. He's not trying to build or formulate a brand.

Garrett has always marched to the beat of his own drum and people have always had a difficult time figuring out who he is, how he's wired. While in consideration for the top overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, some criticized Garrett for having outside interests and not coming off like a typical jock. He didn't eat, drink and sleep football in the same way as many others. Because he liked to write poetry, listen to Marvin Gaye and really liked dinosaurs, maybe he wasn't passionate enough about football and it would prevent him from being among the best.

It went as far as insane theories that Garrett might get bored of football and retire simply because he was intelligent enough to have thoughts on other topics. And perhaps, if he opts for a life of fighting crime, he could. Nevertheless, he seems to have struck the delicate balance of being one of the best defensive players in football who also can occasionally learn new things, write poetry and listen to music.

The truest sense of who Garrett is might be listening to him argue with his college friends about basketball and anime while playing Fortnite. A self-described old head, he's got really strong opinions about basketball, having at least considered going that route coming out of high school. Garrett has said that Oklahoma tried to get him to play basketball for them. He and his friends argue new school against old school, various matchups and busting balls along the way. His general wisdom and how he typically carries himself belie his age, but when he's arguing about sports, and the stuff he watches, he sounds like a guy in his early 20s.

None of this is to suggest that anyone should forgive or forget what Garrett did, going into an almost blind rage and the actions he took. That's entirely up to the individual. It only highlights that Garrett is far more than that one act, however reprehensible it might have been and how much more damage it could've done.

In the wake of the brawl and suspension during the season, Garrett didn't hide or simply get away from it. He immediately went out and did charity work in an effort to help the poor for Thanksgiving, answering some uncomfortable questions in the process. However sizable Garrett's issues might have been in that moment, there were people in his community that had it far worse than he did and he was unwilling to simply stand on the sideline, feeling sorry for himself.


After Waterboys, the organization founded by Chris Long with the aim of bringing clean drinking water for areas in need, made the decision to stand by Garrett, he accompanied Long to Tanzania in February. Perhaps that was somewhat of a reprieve, going to Africa where people only saw him for donating his time and energy to a worthwhile cause and may have been completely unaware of the incident that led to his suspension. The efforts by Waterboys were life-changing to the community in Tanzania and yet the trip might have done almost as much for Garrett, allowing him to put everything in perspective.



Now, as Garrett prepares for the 2020 season, he now exists as a walking dichotomy, both as hero and villain; a dark knight so to speak. The choice he made in Pittsburgh will forever be attached to him, always referenced in terms of his career. Some will hold that decision against him forever, using that horrible act to define him. Those that choose to embrace him, including the Cleveland Browns and much of their fanbase won't forget the choice Garrett made, but see his heroic feats, both on and off the field, as a beacon of hope and potential redemption for a man, a football team and perhaps far more.

Myles always seemed to be the kind of guy who would retire short of 30 at the peak of his career following a Super Bowl title because he's nothing left to accomplish and wants to tackle the next phase of his life. Enjoy him while he lasts.

Myles is truly a goo guy. To bad moe players aren't like him.

Do you have a disdain for consonants?

He missed a vowel too. Equal opportunity grammar gaffs.

When Njoku was selected, I remember there were 2 or 3 other Tight Ends highly thought of available, and I preferred another iirc, but, in that situation I have to side with the porfessionals, the drafters, knowing their stuff,
Now, as an organization, I only wish they could find out beforehand that somebody is going to want to stay on the Browns long term.

Continuity.

Always impressed by these guys ability ... but then it angers me when they drop in the games haha

that means he has 6 years and i sure hope it happens and i wouldn't mind a super bowl victory in even less time

Your DT board with the new Hooked on Fonix app.

Well, you know what I meant. LOL Good insights.

Go, Browns!

So, if we dial up Njoku and work Garrett into the route somehow, then he catches everything, Call the OC!

If the 49ers can hide speakers on their QB, maybe we can figure a way to get a virtual/augmented reality headset inside Njoku's helmet and superimpose Myles. Kidding...not kidding

?

Holy smokes!

I agree. He seems like a good guy.

He looks great. Has amazing athleticism.

He is just not a good football player.

We need VR to make Njoku a star!

Just tell the NFL it's for Gordon. Goodell seems willing to do anything for him, so slip this in for Njoku. LOL

Win, baby, win!