BROWNS SIGN K DUSTIN HOPKINS TO THREE-YEAR, $15.9 MILLION EXTENSION
The Cleveland Browns have signed kicker Dustin Hopkins to a new long-term extension, making him one of the highest paid placekickers in the league, as first reported by Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is a three-year, $15.9 million extension, including $8.362 million guaranteed. The new deal gets Hopkins to $5.3 million in annual average salary, level with Houston Texans’ kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn. Only Giants’ Graham Gano ($5.5 million), Colts’ Matt Gay ($5.62 million), Eagles’ Jake Elliott ($6 million), and Ravens’ Justin Tucker ($6 million) now earn more than the Cleveland Browns’ kicker.
Hopkins was headed into the final of his contract with the Browns. The new extension not only ties him to Cleveland through the 2027 season but also rewards him after a Pro Bowl-caliber year. Hopkins was 33-for-36 on field goals (91.7%) last season converting 24 out of 26 extra points (92.3%), making it the third consecutive season he had a better than 90% conversion percentage on both field goals and extra points.
The 33-year-old, however, didn’t receive a Pro Bowl nod last campaign but will look to replicate his 2023 form again in 2024. Hopkins’ 33 made field goals last year were also the most in a season by a placekicker in Browns’ franchise history – four of which were game winners.
The former Florida State Seminoles’ 123 total points was the second-highest scoring season for a player in Browns history, just 3 points shy of Jim Brown’s record-setting single season point record from 1965. Also impressive from long range, Hopkins made all 8 of his field goal attempts from 50+ yards. Had he not been hurt after 15 games, Hopkins would likely have broken a few more franchise records along the way.
Hopkins didn’t feature for the Browns through their last two games of the regular season and into the playoffs after an injury that he sustained in Week 16. Hopkins suffered a severe hamstring injury while trying to chase down Texans’ Dameon Pierce on a 98-yard return during the Browns’ 36-22 win in Houston.
Drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2013, Hopkins has been on five NFL teams including New Orleans, Washington, the Chargers, and Cleveland. The twelve-year veteran was cut at his first three destinations, despite a lengthy seven-year stay in Washington, before finding a home in Los Angeles.
Less than two years after signing with the Chargers, Hopkins was on the move again after he lost his starting job to hotshot kicker Cameron Dicker. Hopkins was traded to the Browns for a 2025 seventh-round pick on Aug 28th, 2023 and is now set to kick for Cleveland for another four years. The Browns moved to acquire the veteran after the team’s rookie fourth-round kicker Cade York struggled in the preseason.
The team subsequently waived York on August 29th but ended up signing him back on a one-year deal in March this year. York has since been on the Titans’ and the Giants’ practice squads.
Over an eleven-year span, Hopkins has made 223 total field goals out of 260 attempts and boasts an impressive 85.8% career conversion percentage.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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