In a free agency period that has seen fans of the Washington Redskins grow bored as their team fails to sign many big-name stars, the first miss came with tight end Austin Hooper, who became the highest-paid player at his position when signing with the Cleveland Browns for a four-year, $42 million deal with $23 million guaranteed.
Before Hooper signed, some thought that he might end up in Washington; others thought they wouldn’t end up paying up for him. In the end, the latter party was correct, but the former should at least feel confident knowing there was a chance.
According to Hooper himself, it came down to a decision between the Browns and the Redskins. He chose the former.
“It really came down to Cleveland and Washington,” Hooper said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio “At the end, I chose to be a Brown.”
Hooper said in the interview that he had great respect for the Redskins, but he liked the situation in Cleveland a bit more. The team has a talented quarterback in Baker Mayfield, and the offense and defense is ripe with weapons that will hopefully be correctly utilized under a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski.
“It’s too exciting of an opportunity to pass up,” Hooper said.
