The Browns plan to keep Hooper for the 2022 season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
There was speculation that Cleveland would move on from Hooper, whose hefty contract has not been commensurate with the tight end's production over his first two seasons with the team. That notion grew after the Browns put the franchise tag on fellow tight end David Njoku on Monday, but Fowler's report appears to end that speculation. Hooper is due $9.5 million and carries a $13.2 million cap hit in 2022, per Spotrac.com. The team would save only $2 million if they moved on, so it might be best to keep Hooper around in case Njoku doesn't live up to his $10.9 million salary.