Why Pending Free Agent TE David Njoku Makes Sense for the New York Giants

Tight end David Njoku's looking for his next team after nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

Dec 7, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) walks off the field after the game against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The New York Giants hired John Harbaugh as their new head coach with Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator, both known for wanting tight ends to be heavily involved in the offense.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Browns tight end David Njoku posted his goodbye to the city on social media, stating it was time for him to find a new home.

Could an old home be a new home for Njoku, though?

Njoku was born and raised in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, just down the road from East Rutherford. When he was coming out of college (Miami Hurricanes) in 2017, several mock drafts projected Njoku to the Giants, who that year had the 23rd overall pick.

The Giants selected tight end Evan Engram instead with the 23rd overall pick, Njoku going to the Browns six picks later. Engram has since played for the Jaguars and Broncos, in addition to his time with the Giants, while Njoku has spent his entire career with the Browns.

Njoku has appeared in 118 games with 88 starts and has 384 receptions for 4,062 yards and 34 touchdowns, having failed to play an entire season since the NFL went to a 17-game schedule in 2021. His last full season was 2018, when the league was still playing a 16-game schedule.

In 2025, Njoku had his least productive season since 2020, logging just 33 catches for 293 yards and 4 touchdowns in 12 games and 11 starts. Multiple factors contributed to Njoku's down year.

The most notable was the emergence of rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., whom the Browns took early in the third round and ended up leading the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

Cleveland also had abysmal quarterback play, with a revolving door of Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders.

So would Njoku, who turns 30 this year, make for a good addition to the Giants, who are all but certain to be in the market for tight end help if they lose Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz in free agency (or decide to move on from one or both)?

Nov 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

We think so. Again, throughout his time in Baltimore, Harbaugh had offenses that relied heavily on tight ends as blockers and in the passing game. And in both Chicago and Kansas City, offenses under Nagy featured Cole Kmet and Travis Kelce as focal points at receiver.

The Ravens last year had the fourth-highest usage of 12-personnel in the league, and the Chiefs, the 11th. It’s fair to assume that both coaches want more production at the position than the Giants currently have on the roster or as impending free agents.

Starter Theo Johnson, per Sumer Sports, was targeted just 16.78% of the time in the passing game, this even after the Giants lost receiver Malik Nabers in Week 4 to a season-ending ACL injury and went to more 12-personnel than they had ever run during Brian Daboll’s 3+ seasons as head coach.

Johnson’s targets were fewer than those of Kelce (19.67%) but slightly more than those of Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (17.16%).

While Njoku had a down year in 2025, the last time that he had even half-competent quarterback play, he made his lone Pro Bowl with 81 catches for 882 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2023.

The valuation for Njoku will likely be the hardest part of the conversation, rather than simply answering the question, “Is he still good?”

On film, Njoku still has much of the talent that made him a productive tight end in Cleveland and the fifth-highest-paid tight end in the NFL.

Oct 5, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter of an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the NFL being a “what have you done for me lately” league, the Njoku contract conversation is more nuanced, given his lack of production over the past two seasons. 

Spotrac lists Njoku as having a market value of $9,991,300, which would make him the 15th-highest-paid tight end in the NFL in 2026.

OverTheCap gives Njoku a valuation of just $5,147,000 based on his 2025 production and age (he will turn 30 this offseason).

Frankly, the Giants have minimal investment at tight end, spending less than every team other than the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the position.

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) runs with the ball during an NFL Week 10 game between the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the team were to push to invest in the position, Njoku could be a valid option to add and immediately raise both the floor and ceiling of this tight end room.

Johnson, coming off a solid but not great second season, could easily slot into the room with Njoku, as the offense will likely still lean into 12 personnel.

Again, with Bellinger and Manhertz both impending free agents, now would be the time to make the move without risking needing to cut any players and eat dead cap space. 

The fit is there for Njoku with the Giants. The talent is still there with Njoku. What he looks for in free agency and how much the Giants are willing to invest should be the sole determining factor.

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