The Cleveland Browns are hoping to build on their unexpected success last season and not only return to the playoffs but win at least one game there.
They lost star running back Nick Chubb and quarterback Deshaun Watson to season-ending injuries in 2023, and the hope is that both will be spry enough to drive them to a high level of success this fall and winter.
Last year, the Browns brought in kicker Dustin Hopkins, and on Monday, they got him to agree to a three-year contract extension, per Adam Schefter.
Sources: Browns and kicker Dustin Hopkins reached agreement on a three-year, $15.9 million extension, which now makes him one of the NFL’s top five highest-paid kickers. Hopkins is now tied to Cleveland through the 2027 season. pic.twitter.com/1fq3bpch1a
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 15, 2024
Hopkins is going into his 10th season in the NFL, and he spent the 2022 campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers, but he was limited to just five games that year because of a hamstring injury.
He also suffered a hamstring injury late in 2023, and Cleveland responded by signing Riley Patterson to their practice squad.
In 2023, he made 91.7 percent of his field goal attempts, including one that he converted from 58 yards out, and 92.3 percent of his extra point attempts.
While at Florida State University, Hopkins set a school record with 145 consecutive made extra point attempts, which was the sixth-longest such streak in NCAA history.
The Browns play in arguably the toughest division in the NFL, and in the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have both improved this offseason, while the Cincinnati Bengals remain Super Bowl contenders when healthy.
The hope is that once again, the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts for the Browns this coming season.
