3 contracts Cleveland Browns need to restructure for 2022
3. Cleveland Browns TE Austin Hooper
Austin Hooper is one of the first players Browns fans want to cast off after an unspectacular 2021 campaign.
The problem, is, there’s no easy way to part company with the former Falcon. With a cap number of $13.25 million, Hooper will have the fifth-highest salary-cap number on the team.
If the Browns did want to move on: Boom. It’d be an $11 million cap hit.
According to The Athletic (subscription), the Browns do have options to spread that hit out over multiple seasons , so it’s not like the organization doesn’t have options. Perhaps Hooper would view a restructuring of his deal as better than the alternative, which would be to hit the open market if the Browns decide to take the hit.
For what it’s worth, Hooper carries a cap hit of $13.25 million in 2023, as well, so at some point, Cleveland’s going to have to rip the Band-Aid off.
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I don’t think restructuring is out of the question, because if they get rid of Hooper, Andrew Berry will have to replace him. Hooper’s ability to block shouldn’t be overlooked and that ability isn’t easy to replace. Plus, it’s not like he’s totally lost in the passing game.