The Browns have agreed to a three-year, $15.9 million extension with K Dustin Hopkins.
ESPN's Adam Schefter passes along that this ties Hopkins with Houston's Ka'imi Fairbairn for the fifth-highest annual salary among NFL kickers. They trail:
Hopkins set the franchise record for field goals made in a season last year (33) after arriving via trade from the Chargers on Aug. 28.
Hopkins' season ended prematurely with a Week 16 hamstring injury, but this contract clearly indicates that Cleveland isn't worried about the injury lingering. It also shows they believe the 33-year-old has plenty left.
Hopkins hasn't made it through a full season with one team since 2020. But his FG% has improved later in his career. He hit 84% of his FGs across six-plus seasons with Washington. Hopkins has connected on 90.9% since moving to the Chargers during the 2021 campaign.
He ranked 10th in the league in FG attempts last year and tied for fifth in makes. Hopkins checked in second among kickers in fantasy points per game, by ESPN scoring.
Cleveland looks similar on offense this year but also isn't an exciting unit. That doesn't help his fantasy outlook.
If you're in a dynasty league where hanging on to a kicker makes sense, then it certainly becomes easier to bet on a guy with a multi-year contract. The position doesn't see tons of them.
That said, almost no one should be spending much time thinking about dynasty kickers.
Hopkins' projections aren't changing on this news. But it's worth noting he sits just mid-pack in our kicker rankings. Why?
Well, Hopkins' career high in FG% last year signals some regression potential. And within that, he went 8-for-8 from 50+ yards. Hopkins had never made more than four kicks from that range in a season and has only attempted more than five one other time.
So that area shows particular regression risk. And a dip there would certainly impact his fantasy output.
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