Browns reportedly sign Dustin Hopkins to new 3-year deal, make him among highest-paid kickers in league

The Cleveland Browns reached an extension deal with Dustin Hopkins and made him one of the league’s highest-paid kickers in the process.

Hopkins and the Browns agreed to a three-year, $15.9 million extension on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The new deal, which will pay Hopkins about $5.3 million per season, makes him one of the five highest-paid kickers in the NFL.

Hopkins was set to enter the final year of a three-year, $9 million deal he first signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. He was traded to Cleveland in August of 2023.

Now, the Browns have him under contract through the 2027 campaign.

Hopkins was taken by the Buffalo Bills in the 2013 NFL Draft before later getting cut. He spent time with the Washington Commanders before landing with the Chargers and Browns. With the Browns, he made a franchise-record 33 of his 36 field-goal attempts last season. He drilled a career-long 58-yarder, and he set an NFL record after going five straight games while making a 50-yard FG or longer.

Baltimore's Justin Tucker and Philadelphia's Jake Elliott each currently make $6 million a season, which makes them the highest-paid kickers in the league. Only Indianapolis' Matt Gay and the New York Giants' Graham Gano earn slightly more than Hopkins under his new deal.

The Browns went 11-6 last season and made the playoffs for the second time in the past two decades. The team went 5-0 in games decided by a field goal last season. Hopkins missed the last two regular-season games and the Browns' playoff loss to the Houston Texans due to a hamstring injury. He is expected to be healthy for the start of the season this fall.