Following a career year in Jim Schwartz's defense, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has cashed in. The Cleveland Browns linebacker has agreed to a three-year extension, according CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones. The deal is worth up to $39 million with $25 million guaranteed, per NFL Media.
JOK had one more year remaining on his rookie deal, but general manager Andrew Berry wanted to lock in the 24-year-old now. Although the true AAV of this new deal is unknown, if Owusu-Koramoah earned every possible cent in the contract, his $13 million AAV would rank No. 6 among linebackers behind new Pittsburgh Steeler Patrick Queen, who signed a three-year, $41 million deal this offseason.
Owusu-Koramoah commented on the extension, saying, "It feels like I'm loved, right?"
"It feels like now I have an opportunity to respond to a lot of the different things that's going on in my life and a lot of the different things that have been going on," he continued. "It feels good to be locked into a place and have the place also respect you and give you honor as well."
Owusu-Koramoah admitted that while he believed a deal would get done, "you never really know how the NFL operates," considering at the end of the day, it is a business. JOK is grateful to be able to remain with the team that drafted him with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
"There's so many different things that can be thrown at you," he said. "So you have to be appreciative when you can be drafted to a team and then the team extends you more years. So, there's always a sense of honor there."
The Notre Dame product made his first Pro Bowl this past season after recording a career-high 101 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, five QB hits, six passes defended and his first two NFL interceptions. Owusu-Koramoah's 101 tackles were the most by a player to record 20+ tackles for loss in a season since Luke Kuechly in 2018.
JOK is a versatile defensive chess piece who can be used all over the field, and he will have a chance to build on his best season yet in 2024. In 41 career games played, Owusu-Koramoah has recorded 247 combined tackles, five sacks, 14 passes defensed and five forced fumbles.