DEAL AGREED: Browns have Officially Agreed and Signed a Blockbuster Trade for Vikings Best linebacker who played for Jim Schwartz in Philadelphia

Cleveland, Ohio — On a day when the Browns lost two starting linebackers, they got a veteran who is familiar with their defensive coach.

Jordan Hicks, who spent three seasons in Philadelphia under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, agreed to terms with the Browns on a two-year, $8 million contract Monday. Hicks has spent the last two seasons with the Vikings.
Hicks was the Eagles’ third-round pick in 2015 and started 40 of his 43 games, including 35 with Schwartz calling the defence. He missed the team’s Super Bowl run in 2017 due to an Achilles injury sustained in Week 7.

Hicks, a University of Texas graduate, has five consecutive seasons with over 100 tackles, 14.5 career sacks, 13 interceptions, and 11 fumble recoveries. He turns 32 in June.

Prior to Minnesota, Hicks spent three seasons at Arizona from 2019 to 2021.

Hicks attended Lakota West High School in West Chester Township, Ohio.
Hicks, 6 feet-1 and 236 pounds, signed a four-year, $36 million contract with Arizona in 2019 and was released in 2022. Following his release from the Cardinals, the Vikings signed him to a two-year contract.

The Browns must replace linebackers Anthony Walker Jr., a club captain, who is joining with the Miami Dolphins, and Sione Takitaki, who has signed with the Patriots.

Walker started 27 games for the Browns over three seasons, but his final two years were cut short due to injuries. Takitaki was a third-round pick in 2019 who quickly established himself as a starter, first under Joe Woods, then as a MIKE linebacker for Walker in 2022, and finally under Schwartz.

Both players wore the green sticker at different times as the defensive signal-caller, who receives calls from the sideline via a headphone in their helmet.
Adding Hicks and letting Walker and Takitaki to leave only reinforces the notion that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will play a larger role in his fourth season. His snap count increased in the fourth quarter of the 2023 season, and Schwartz stated that he wants Owusu-Koramoah to evolve into the type of linebacker who never leaves the field.

Owusu-Koramoah is eligible for an extension starting this offseason and will become a free agent after the 2024 season.

The Browns had a hectic day on defence. In addition to the linebacker adjustments, the team re-signed edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to a two-year contract and brought back defensive tackle Mo Hurst II on a one-year deal.

The Browns defence thrived in Schwartz’s debut season, finishing first in overall yards per game and passing yards per game, and second in yards per play. They also gave up the fewest first downs in the league.