David Njoku is set to hit the open market and move on from the Cleveland Browns.
Njoku, who has played the past nine seasons for the Browns and is an impending free agent, announced Monday on Instagram that it was time for him to find a new home.
“Cleveland, first of all I love you,” he wrote. “These 9 years have been a beautiful journey. I am so grateful for all the memories we shared together. Thank you The Haslams, Andrew Berry and the Browns organization for everything!! All my teammates that I shared the battle with I am so thankful for you. The time for me to find a new home has come and all I can think about is the gratitude of my heart to Clev❤️. #ChiefOut.”
Njoku was selected 29th overall in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and has played in 118 games (88 starts) for the Browns. He has recorded 384 receptions for 4,062 yards and 34 touchdowns. At his best when healthy, Njoku is a freak athlete who has put up great numbers, such as in his only Pro Bowl campaign in 2023. Despite the Browns starting five quarterbacks that season, Njoku had a career-high 81 catches for 882 yards and six touchdowns.
Njoku signed a four-year, $56.75 million extension with the Browns in the spring of 2022 and followed that up with his aforementioned sensational season. After 2023, however, Njoku’s production declined each season as he missed a combined 11 games due to injury.
Last season, he had 33 catches for 293 yards and four touchdowns, as rookie Harold Fannin Jr. emerged as the Browns’ top target with 72 receptions, 731 yards and six TD catches.
Kyle Pitts is expected to be the top contender in free agency if he doesn’t re-sign with the Atlanta Falcons. If Pitts tests the market, new Falcons head coach and longtime Browns HC Kevin Stefanski will open up. Njoku had a career 2023 with Stefanski, but also had a disappointing 2025 season with him.
“He and I have a very unique relationship,” Stefanski said of Njoku previously. “He thinks I didn’t like him when I first got here, which isn’t true.”
Where Njoku ends up will have to wait for free agency, but he has made it known that he is leaving The Land.