Former Pro Bowl TE David Njoku signing with Chargers after 9 years with Browns
Known as "Chief," David Njoku projects as the most versatile tight end for the Chargers, who continue to invest at the position.
"Chief" will soon be seeing a lot of the Chiefs. Former Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku , who'd spent his entire nine-season NFL career with the Cleveland Browns , has agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers , according to NFL Network − the one-year deal apparently worth up to $8 million. Njoku joins a room that includes youngster Oronde Gadsen II, who caught 49 passes as a rookie in 2025, and Charlie Kolar, one of the league's premier blocking tight ends.
Kolar signed a three-year, $24. 3 million in March. While that might seem like a crowded group, having multiple tight ends on the field for various offensive packages is a growing trend in the NFL.
Njoku, who will be 30 in July, was a first-round pick of the Browns in 2017. Statistically, his best season occurred in 2023, when he caught 81 passes for 882 yards and six touchdowns − all career highs − and earned his only Pro Bowl nod. Over the course of his career, he has 384 receptions for 4,062 yards and 34 TDs.
Yet it should be noted that Njoku's somewhat erratic year-over-year numbers were at least partially skewed by the Browns' ever-changing offense and instability at quarterback. The emergence of rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. , Cleveland's leading receiver as a rookie in 2025, made Njoku expendable.