Cleveland Browns: David Njoku says he wants to stay, but it’s likely not true

David Njoku has told everyone he wants to remain with the Cleveland Browns, but does he?

Don’t put too much stock in David Njoku telling everyone that he wants to stay with the Cleveland Browns. A dramatic stance shift with no change in monetary, or organizational reworking? It’s all highly suspect. He let his desire to leave leak well after the team got a new GM, a new head coach, and picked up his fifth-year option. Nothing has changed for his situation since the news leaked. So why did he change his mind?

Simply, it’s unlikely he did. If you’re surprised or under the impression that athletes, teams, executives, and leagues don’t lie all the time, this is your wake up call. Trust a person’s actions. Not their words.

Look at Francisco Lindor, he keeps saying he wants to stay in Cleveland, yet he’s not even talking contracts with the Indians anymore. He says one thing, but his behavior says another. Athletes lie all the time. So why should anyone believe that Njoku suddenly wants to stay? They shouldn’t.

Why would Njoku and the Browns lie? Well, for starters, whenever a player goes public with a trade demand, he’s ultimately making it impossible for the team he’s on to recoup or get proper value for the player. The teams interested know the player wants out and thus they have all the leverage in the world in negotiations. So with Njoku coming out and saying he wants out, all he did was kill the market for him because the Browns don’t just want to dump him. Something his agent has more than likely told him.

So if you want out of Cleveland, the best way to get out is to say you don’t want to leave publically but still press the issue privately. That way when teams come calling, they have to put up a little bit more to pry the player away. Something the Browns more than likely told Njoku would help his case of leaving the team.

After all, Njoku has wanted out for over a year. It seems odd that with no new obvious outliers that Njoku would just change his decision and opt to stay in Cleveland. Before you go on to say “BUT ANDREW BERRY SAID…”, why would Berry say anything but that he wants to keep Njoku? If you’re trying to sell a PlayStation and get proper value for it, you’re not gonna tell the guy who’s interested that you don’t intend on using it anymore, and to just “make him an offer”. You’ll say it’s for sale but hem and haw about it. You’d talk about how attached you are to it and how much value it still has beyond a monetary sense. You’d mention all the stuff you’d be giving up and maybe even toy with pulling the offer just to see what the buyer is willing to give for it. That way you get close to the price you want for it.

To be fair, however, it’s also entirely possible Njoku’s being honest and that he does want to stay. Now, why would he do that? It’s entirely possible that Njoku saw that no one wanted him outside of the Browns and reversed course so fans wouldn’t bag on him all year. After all, he was pretty upset when fans came for him when he made his trade demand public.  It’s also entirely possible he found a new pita place that he really can’t seem to quit going to. Maybe he fell in love with a new girl or found the coolest dog park near his place. Maybe the prospect of moving to a new city was too much anxiety to bare. Maybe head coach Kevin Stefanski said the right combination of words to inspire Njoku to stay. All that is entirely likely.

It’s also likely that Njoku still wants out, and this is all just a big maneuver between Njoku and the Cleveland Browns to ensure that Njoku gets his wish and the club get a proper return for the tight end.