Dustin Hopkins has cashed in with a lucrative extension with the Cleveland Browns, making him one of the highest-paid kickers in football.
The Browns and Hopkins agreed to a three-year extension worth $15.9 million, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The deal makes him the fifth highest-paid kicker in the league.
The Browns landed Hopkins in a preseason trade, cutting then-kicker Cade York. Hopkins had just lost his own kicking battle with the Los Angeles Chargers but the risky move paid off for the Browns, with the 33-year-old churning out the best season of his career.
Hopkins made 33 out of 36 field goal attempts, with four of them being game-winners. He also set a franchise record for the Browns by making 31 field goals in a single season. His eight successful attempts from beyond 50 yards also set another team record.
Hopkins established an NFL milestone by hitting a 50-plus-yard field goal in five consecutive games. Impressively, he was perfect from that range this season, going 8 for 8, a stark contrast to his previous nine seasons, where he was only 15 for 30.
“He’s really been the best kicker in football in my opinion. He really has,” Browns special team coordinator Bubba Ventrone said in December. “I mean, we play in conditions that are not easy. Our stadium is not easy to kick in. We play games outside in weather. And he’s done a great job. He’s been the best in the league in my opinion.”
Browns Brought Back Cade York
The Browns have struggled in recent years to find a consistent kicker. The team hoped York would be the answer after adding him with a fourth-round pick in 2022. At the time, he was the highest-drafted kicker since 2016 (Roberto Aguayo, picked in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
York lost his confidence, and the Browns felt they had to change direction before last season. However, York is back on the roster as a developmental prospect. He signed a futures contract with the team in March. Cleveland was clear that bringing back York did not threaten Hopkins’ standing as the starter.
“We’re really happy with it and obviously Dustin’s our kicker this year, barring any type of catastrophic injury or something along those lines,” Browns GM Andrew Berry told Cleveland.com on Tuesday at the NFL annual meetings. “But we felt like Cade was one of, if not the best options to work with in that developmental spot.”
Amari Cooper Contract Situation Still Lurking for Browns
The extension with Hopkins was not necessarily what many expected from the Browns. With training camp quickly approaching, wide receiver Amari Cooper is at odds with the team over an extension. Cooper did not attend mandatory minicamp.
Cooper has a lot of leverage in negotiations coming off a Pro Bowl season. He caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. Even more impressively, Cooper put up the big numbers despite an unstable quarterback situation.
Deshaun Watson is set to return after season-ending shoulder surgery. The Browns want to give him every opportunity to succeed. Having Cooper on the field as his No. 1 option will be critical in that.
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