Andrew Hawkins - Pro Football Rumors

Browns Release WR Andrew Hawkins

February 27th, 2017 at 10:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have released wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, according to a team press release. The Browns will save $1.8MM against the cap by parting ways with the veteran.

“Andrew Hawkins was a great asset to the organization in his three seasons with our team,” top exec Sashi Brown said in the statement. “He was an outstanding example to our young players both on and off the field. The well-intended work he did in the Cleveland community was greatly appreciated and the respect he earned throughout our league for never being afraid to responsibly create an educated dialogue around a societal issue is commendable. I’m not sure where Andrew’s next stop will be but his history shows that whatever he sets his mind to accomplish, success is sure to follow.”

Hawkins, 31 in March, has spent his entire career to date in the AFC North. After playing for the Bengals from 2011-2013, he hooked on with the Browns as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. Cleveland gave him a four-year, $13.6MM pact and the Bengals ultimately decided against matching, allowing the restricted free agent to get away.

Hawkins was a focal part of the offense initially, tallying 63 catches for 824 yards and two scores in his first Browns season. Since then, however, he has been more of a supporting piece. In 2016, he had just 33 catches for 324 yards and three scores.

Browns Place Andrew Hawkins On IR

December 23rd, 2015 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

The 2015 season has officially come to an end for Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, who was placed on injured reserve today by the team, according to a press release. Cleveland signed linebacker Jayson DiManche from its practice squad to replace Hawkins on the 53-man roster.

Hawkins, 29, has missed the Browns’ last four games due to a concussion, and hadn’t been expected to return to the field this season. In the eight games he played – and started – for Cleveland, he recorded 27 catches on 43 targets for 276 yards.

Because Hawkins was a restricted free agent when he signed an offer sheet with the Browns, the team will have him at a bargain price for the next two seasons. The front-loaded offer Cleveland made to discourage the Bengals from matching included cap hits of $5.8MM in 2014 and $5MM in 2015, but only $1MM in 2016 and $1.8MM in 2017, so the veteran wideout likely won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Browns Rumors: Pettine, QB, Haden, Hawkins

December 3rd, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Browns played a little better than many observers expected during Mike Pettine‘s first season as the head coach in 2014, but the team finished that season on a five-game losing streak, and have gone 2-9 so far in 2015. Taking those struggles into account, Pettine acknowledges that he and owner Jimmy Haslam figure to have a talk about his performance sooner or later, and he hopes he’ll have some positive signs to point to when that discussion happens.

“As the season winds down, [my future] could potentially come up between [Haslam and me],” Pettine said today, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I’m full speed ahead to getting it fixed here in Cleveland, and I know the results aren’t anywhere near where they need to be. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not making strides, we’re not getting it set up that it can be done. So, to me, it’s a belief that we can. We got five games left and we’re going to go out and wear the Cleveland logo proud and try to win football games.”

As Pettine attempts to right the ship in Cleveland, let’s check in on a few more Browns-related notes…

Discussing the decision to start Austin Davis in Week 13, making him the Browns’ third starting quarterback in three weeks, Pettine suggested that just because Davis is atop the depth chart now, that doesn’t mean he’ll finish the year there (link via Ulrich). “I don’t want to declare, ‘Hey, this is what it is going to be from here on out,'” Pettine said. “[Davis and Johnny Manziel] are two young quarterbacks that have upside, and we want to see what that upside is. Austin is the guy for this week.”
According to Pettine, the Browns may have some discussions about the possibility of placing cornerback Joe Haden and/or wide receiver Andrew Hawkins on injured reserve (Twitter link via Tom Withers of The Associated Press). Both Haden and Hawkins have concussions, but the team hasn’t decided yet to shut down either player for the year.
New Browns wideout Terrelle Pryor said today that he was in the middle of a visit with the Bears this week when Cleveland called him, per Ulrich (Twitter link). Pryor was interested in a return to Cleveland since he knows the offense and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.
The three-week practice period for Browns tight end Randall Telfer expired this week without a roster move, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets. Telfer has been on the non-football injury list all season, and having missed his window to be activated, he’ll officially be out for the rest of his rookie year.

AFC Notes: Dolphins, McKnight, Pats, Browns

September 26th, 2014 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The offensive line was the primary area of focus for the Dolphins this offseason after last year’s bullying scandal, and the team addressed the position by signing Branden Albert in free agency and drafting Ja’Wuan James in the first round, among other moves. So far, the new-look unit has showed flashes of upside, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, pointing out that Miami is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, second-best in the NFL. Of course, the team has also allowed the third-most sacks in the league (nine). In Albert’s view, his performance has been worthy of a C grade so far.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

After a big game on Sunday against the Dolphins, Chiefs running back Joe McKnight got some bad news today. According to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter), McKnight suffered a ruptured Achilles in practice yesterday while running a route. With that injury certain to end the 26-year-old’s season, we can probably expect to see him placed on IR soon, with someone else taking his place on the 53-man roster.
The Patriots worked out a handful of players this week, including defensive backs Justin Green, Keon Lyn, Kimario McFadden, and Trevin Wade, as well as tight end Konrad Reuland, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that long snappers Charley Hughlett and Kevin McDermott auditioned for the Browns.
While no Browns wideout is expected to replicate Josh Gordon‘s numbers while 2013’s leading receiver serves his 10-game suspension, free agent signee Andrew Hawkins has fit in well so far in Cleveland, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal details. Hawkins leads the club in both receptions and receiving yards through three weeks.

Extra Points: NFLPA, Moreno, Contract Details

March 20th, 2014 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Newly-minted NFLPA president Eric Winston is just hours into his new role, but he sounds like he’s ready to hit the ground running.

“This union has always been about fighting,” Winston told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “It won’t change.”

Winston didn’t mince words when it came to the idea of expanding the NFL season from 16 to 18 games, telling Pelissero that the idea is “dead in the water.” He was less definitive when it came to the idea of playoff expansion, but he made it clear that the union will only be on board under certain conditions. Here’s more from around the NFL:

Knowshon Moreno arguably had the most impressive 2013 campaign of any of this year’s free agent running backs, but his name hasn’t surfaced at all in the last nine days. That changed today, with word breaking that the Dolphins will have Moreno in a for a visit on Friday (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald).
The Panthers continue to pursue free agent receivers, and will have Lestar Jean in for a visit tonight and tomorrow, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
The Buccaneers hosted free agent defensive back Chris Owens today, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Owens also met with the Steelers this week, as we heard earlier this afternoon.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap has the full breakdown of many of the new contracts signed in recent days, including, but not limited to, Andrew Hawkins‘ four-year pact with the Browns, Scott Chandler‘s two-year deal with the Bills, James Starks‘ two-year deal with the Packers, Charlie Johnson‘s two-year contract with the Vikings, and Usama Young‘s two-year deal with the Raiders.
Jerricho Cotchery‘s deal with the Panthers is technically for five years, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun details (via Twitter). I imagine it includes three void years, similar to Roman Harper‘s new contract. Cotchery also received a $2.25MM signing bonus.
Wilson (Twitter links) also provides details on a pair of minimum salary benefit contracts, noting that fullback Jed Collins will get $710K from the Lions between his $65K signing bonus and $645K base salary. Safety Craig Steltz will get $795K from the Bears between his $730K salary and the $65K roster bonus for 2014.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Browns Sign Andrew Hawkins

March 18th, 2014 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

3:57pm: The deal is officially in the books, with the Browns announcing the signing (via Twitter).

2:15pm: According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Bengals have officially decided not to match Hawkins’ offer sheet, meaning the wide receiver will join the Browns on a four-year, $13.6MM deal.

MARCH 18, 12:18pm: The NFL has informed the Browns that the Bengals have until midnight eastern tonight to decide whether or not to match Hawkins’ offer sheet, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

12:22pm: As I speculated below, the Bengals are now leaning toward not matching the Browns’ offer sheet for Hawkins due to its structure, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.

MARCH 13, 11:54am: Hawkins has officially signed his offer sheet with the Browns, giving the Bengals five days to match it, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport, the terms of the sheet are slightly different than reported below, with $10.8MM of the $13.6MM total owed to Hawkins in the first two years of the four-year deal. That could make it a little trickier for Cincinnati to match, so we’ll have to wait and see if that changes the Bengals’ plans at all.

MARCH 12, 8:29am: The Bengals intend to match the offer sheet restricted free agent Andrew Hawkins signed with the Browns, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The deal, which Cincinnati initially appeared unlikely to match, is a four-year contract worth $12.2MM, with a potential max value of nearly $15MM. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and National Football Post provided additional details on the offer last night.

The Bengals originally retained their right of first refusal with Hawkins by placing the $1.431MM RFA tender on him. The wide receiver was an undrafted free agent, so the contract tender didn’t assure Cincinnati of any draft compensation if he signed elsewhere, but it gave the club the opportunity to match any offer he signed.

Hawkins, who turned 28 this week, had his best year in 2012, racking up 51 catches for 533 yards and four touchdowns. He began 2013 on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and only caught 12 balls in the season’s second half. Given his spot on the Bengals’ depth chart in ’13, it’s a little surprising that the club would be willing to invest in him on this sort of multiyear contract, but perhaps he’ll be in line for an increased role going forward.

As for the Browns, it appears they’ll have to shift their attention to other free agent slot receivers. The team was also in on Andre Roberts before he signed with the Redskins, and has been linked to Emmanuel Sanders.

Extra Points: Hawkins, Graham, Martin, Byrd

March 11th, 2014 at 10:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Aaron Wilson of National Football Post has the goods on Andrew Hawkins‘ $13.1MM offer sheet with the Browns. The deal would give the wide receiver a $3MM signing bonus and a 2014 base salary of $1.8MM guaranteed for skill and injury. In 2015, he has a $2.3MM base that is guaranteed for injury only. He has non-guaranteed bases of $2.5MM in ’16 and $2.6MM in ’17. More from around the NFL..

One team other than the Ravens to keep an eye on for cornerback Corey Graham is the Dolphins, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. There’s an opening now that Nolan Carroll is unsigned and Dimitri Patterson has been cut.
The Dolphins will carry about $959K in dead money after the Jonathan Martin trade, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
If DeMarcus Ware is still on the market after the initial wave of interest, the Packers could get involved, but that’s unlikely, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN. It sounds like the Broncos are the frontrunner for his services.
The Bills‘ best offer to Jairus Byrd was a yearly average of about $7.5MM, tweets Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.
The Colts had conversations with the Dolphins about Martin and the Vikings also showed interest, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
Tracy Porter is visiting the Giants tonight, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter).

Bengals Unlikely To Match Browns’ Offer For Hawkins

March 11th, 2014 at 7:00pm CST by Zachary Links

7:00pm: The offer sheet is worth $12.2MM over four years, with $4MM in guaranteed money and escalators that could increase the value to $14.9MM, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

6:50pm: The Browns’ offer is believed to be in the neighborhood of $12MM over four years, tweets Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

6:41pm: The Browns’ offer to Hawkins includes guaranteed money that’s more than three times the amount of the receiver’s RFA tender ($1.431MM), tweets Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com. As such, it’s unlikely that the Bengals match the offer.

5:55pm: Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins has recieved an offer sheet from the Browns, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network (on Twitter). Hawkins plans to sign the offer sheet, leaving the Bengals with a decision to make (link).

Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter) says it’s a four-year deal for Hawkins.

AFC Rumors: Raiders, Chargers, Haden, Edelman

March 11th, 2014 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

It appears the Raiders, the team with the most cap room in the NFL, will let both of their marquee free agents walk, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio hears from a source that Oakland believes Jared Veldheer is better suited to right tackle than left tackle, and that the team can’t justify paying $7MM annually to a defensive end (Lamarr Houston) who is more a run-stopper than a pass-rusher.

With free agency looming at the top of the hour, here’s more from around the AFC:

Raiders defensive tackle Vance Walker will test the market at 3:00pm CT, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland made Walker an offer, and he likes playing for the Raiders, but he wants to take advantage of the rare opportunity to be an unrestricted free agent, says Tafur.
The Chargers are “very much in the mix” for free agent defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Colts remain in talks to bring Ahmad Bradshaw back, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. The former Giants running back was an impact player last year before his injury.
The Browns‘ talks with Joe Haden on a long-term deal are ongoing, tweets Breer, adding that it would be interesting to see how a deal for Darrelle Revis would affect those talks.
Sources tell Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the Chiefs have interest in wide receivers Jason Avant and Devin Hester.
Assuming the Patriots can’t re-sign Julian Edelman, Andrew Hawkins is a target to keep in mind for the team, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Hawkins received an RFA tender from the Bengals, so Cincinnati would have a chance to match any offer for the receiver.
Speaking of Edelman, the Ravens have interest in him, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson also hears from a source that the Ravens will evaluate tight end Owen Daniels, who was released by the Texans (Twitter link).
After voiding his deal and becoming a free agent yesterday, defensive lineman Jason Babin told SiriusXM NFL Radio today that he’d like to return to the Jaguars if it’s possible. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has the details and quotes.
Bills GM Doug Whaley told WGR 550 that “offers are on the table” for tight end Scott Chandler and kicker Dan Carpenter, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Browns Rumors: Hawkins, Whitner, Moats

March 11th, 2014 at 10:59am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s what’s happening in Cleveland..

With Andre Roberts off the table and Julian Edelman possibly re-signing with the Pats, the Browns’ next move might be to go after Bengals wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, tweets Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com.
There’s a lot of talk that the Browns could bring Ohio State alum Donte Whitner home this offseason, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network. Whitner would help anchor the secondary of new head coach Mike Pettine.
Kinkhabwala (link) hears the same with regards to Whitner and adds that things could be getting close with former Bills linebacker Arthur Moats. Of course, Pettine is familiar with Moats from their time together in Buffalo.