Dustin Hopkins is fired up to be with the Browns long-term
Dustin Hopkins’ three-year, $15.9 million contract extension with the Cleveland Browns is now official, and the kicker was fired up during his video for the team on social media, which included a message for the fans.
“Cleveland hello, I’m so glad to be back,” Dustin Hopkins said in the Browns’ post on social media. “Thank y’all for how y’all have adopted me here in Ohio. I’m excited for 2024 and 2025, 26, 27. But no we’re super excited to get back to work here soon in what a week we report for camp? So let’s go, hope to see y’all out there, go dawgs.”
D-Hop has a message for Cleveland! pic.twitter.com/5swQbXavue
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) July 17, 2024
Hopkins’ new deal with the Browns makes him one of the highest-paid kickers in the NFL, and he is tied to the franchise through the end of the 2027 season. This is coming off of a stellar season for Hopkins, as he converted 33-of-36 field goal attempts and 24-of-26 extra points, according to Pro Football Reference.
Previously, Hopkins had played with the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Chargers. He was with Washington for seven seasons, before moving to the Chargers in the middle of the 2021 season. He played another season with the Chargers in 2022, playing in just five games, before landing with the Browns in 2023.
This contract gives Hopkins a stable situation for the first time in a few years, and it has to be a relief. Hopefully, he can be a reliable kicker for the Browns once again. He was a part of why Cleveland was able to make the playoffs last season despite the quarterback problems that they faced.
Browns’ outlook for the 2024 NFL season
The Browns had a surprising playoff run last season, given the quarterback play that they had. Kevin Stefanski had Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, PJ Walker and Joe Flacco play quarterback last season. After Deshaun Watson’s injury, the play of Joe Flacco stabilized things a bit, and he played well in a good number of games to get the Browns to the playoffs, where they lost to the Houston Texans.
The bottom line is that the Browns need Watson to get close to the level of play that he was at with the Texans. Since joining the Browns, he has been suspended, disappointed with his play in both seasons, and injured in year two. It has been a bad move so far, but Cleveland has committed to him and he is likely around for a few more years due to the structure of the contract, which is fully-guaranteed.
It will be interesting to see how Watson fares this season, as he is coming off of a season-ending shoulder injury. The Browns have not touched the contract when it comes to restructuring or moving money around. They are taking on big cap hits, and if Watson does disappoint over the next year or two, they could then cut bait in a few years when the dead cap hit is more reasonable. The hope is still that Watson can get back to his Houston form as he gets a full season of play.
