3:28pm: Hughes’ extension includes $3.56MM in guaranteed money, including a $2.5MM signing bonus, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, who tweets that the four-year deal can max out at $15MM.
3:12pm: While most players signing new deals this week saw their old contracts expire, defensive lineman John Hughes has agreed to a new pact with a year remaining on his rookie deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport reports that the Browns locked up Hughes to a four-year deal worth $14.4MM in new money.
Hughes, a 2012 draftee, became extension-eligible this winter for the first time, and the Browns didn’t waste much time in locking him up. The former third-round pick has started just seven games in his first three seasons in Cleveland, but appeared poised for a bigger role in 2014 before he landed on the injured reserve list for a good chunk of the season due to an MCL injury.
Although he only logged 212 defensive snaps for the Browns in 2014, Hughes was productive in his limited action, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics, which gave him a +5.2 grade (subscription required). The 26-year-old was similarly productive in 2013, ranking among PFF’s top 10 3-4 defensive ends despite playing only 402 defensive snaps.