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Cleveland Browns reach agreements with TE Austin Hooper, two others

Former Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper (R) is coming off his best NFL season, with 75 catches for 787 yards and six touchdowns. File Photo by Art Foxall/UPI
Former Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper (R) is coming off his best NFL season, with 75 catches for 787 yards and six touchdowns. File Photo by Art Foxall/UPI | License Photo

March 16 (UPI) -- The Cleveland Browns agreed to terms with former Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper and ex-Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Jack Conklin on Monday.

League sources told ESPN and NFL Media that Hooper agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the Browns, making him the highest-paid tight end in the league. According to NFL Media, Hooper also will receive $23 million guaranteed over the first two years of the deal.

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Shortly later, the Browns bolstered their offensive line by agreeing to terms with Conklin on a three-year, $42 million deal. According to NFL Media, Conklin will earn $20 million in the first year and get $30 million fully guaranteed.

The Browns also agreed to terms with former Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos quarterback Case Keenum on a three-year, $18 million contract, according to ESPN and NFL Media.

The deals can't be processed until the beginning of the new league year Wednesday.

Hooper, 25, is coming off his best NFL season, with 75 receptions for 787 yards and six touchdowns in the 2019 campaign. The Pro Bowl tight end posted those numbers despite missing three contests because of an MCL sprain.

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Through four seasons and 59 career games in Atlanta, Hooper has recorded 214 catches for 2,244 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has been selected to play in the last two Pro Bowls.

The Falcons, in a salary-cap move, announced last month the team was allowing Hooper to enter free agency.

Conklin, who was named first-team All-Pro as a rookie in 2016, shook off an injury-riddled 2018 campaign and started all 16 regular-season games for the Titans last season. Tennessee opted against picking up his fifth-year option for $12.8 million last May.

Keenum, who was traded to the Washington Redskins last off-season, started eight games in 2019 before the franchise turned to rookie signal-caller Dwayne Haskins. Keenum has started 62 games in his NFL career between the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, Vikings, Broncos and Redskins.

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