<\/p>\n
The Browns are committing to Dustin Hopkins<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>long-term. ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter reports<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>that the organization has signed the kicker to a three-year, $15.9M extension. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>that the deal contains $8.36M in guaranteed money.<\/p>\n The deal keeps Hopkins in Cleveland through the 2027 campaign. The veteran was set to hit free agency following the 2024 season.<\/p>\n The Browns gave up on former fourth-round pick Cade York<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>at the end of the 2023 preseason, acquiring Hopkins from the Chargers for a seventh-round pick. After dealing with injuries for much of the 2022 season, Hopkins rebounded nicely during his first season in Cleveland. He connected on a career-high 91.7 percent of his field-goal attempts and made 24 of his 26 XP tries.<\/p>\n However, his season ended early after he suffered a hamstring injury in late December. After not missing a game between 2018 and 2021, Hopkins has dealt with injuries in each of the past two seasons. Zac Jackson of The Athletic opines<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>that the team is taking a bit of a risk extending the veteran ahead of his age-34 campaign, although the team is clearly optimistic that Hopkins can continue his 2023 performance into the twilight years of his career.<\/p>\n Hopkins had a long stint as Washington\u2019s starting kicker, converting 84 percent of his FGA and 94.2 percent of his XPA. He spent a year-plus with the Chargers, where he connected on 9 of 10 field-goal attempts and all 12 extra-point tries.<\/p>\n With his new $5.3M average annual value, Hopkins jumps into the top-five on the list of the league\u2019s highest-paid kickers. Hopkins is tied with Ka\u2019imi Fairbairn<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and trails Justin Tucker<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>($6M), Jake Elliott<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>($6M), Matt Gay<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>($5.62M), and Graham Gano<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>($5.5M).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n