Outside of Malik Willis, free agents this offseason signed by the Miami Dolphins have been at or near minimum-level deals. Yet, that hadn't stopped the rumor mill from churning out the possibility of former Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku returning to South Florida.
Having played collegiately at the University of Miami, the ties were obvious for Njoku joining the Dolphins to return to his hometown. However, that fantasy has been put to rest for at least the 2026 season.
On Monday morning, Njoku agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Chargers for one year, worth up to $8 million. So, although he won't be donning the aqua and orange of the Dolphins, Njoku will be working with Miami's former head coach.
Free agent tight end David Njoku agrees to a deal with the Chargers over hometown Miami Dolphins
With Njoku's deal being worth up to $8 million, it provides the reason that his return to Miami was never truly in the cards for this season. When free agency started, the Dolphins wasted no time in giving Willis a three-year deal worth $67.5 million, with $45 million guaranteed. Miami's other free agent signings, however, have all signed on for one-year contracts, with tight end Greg Dulcich receiving the most guaranteed money among them at $2.91 million.
Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has been crafty in his first year working the cap purgatory that the former front office put them in, but it was clear from the get-go that top FA signings outside of Willis would not be in the cards. Yet, Njoku's name continued to come up with the Dolphins as a possible landing spot, even after Miami drafted two tight ends in the NFL Draft.
In early May, though, Njoku met with the Chargers, linking him with former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. And after a week of mulling it over, the former Browns TE is headed to Los Angeles.
Dolphins fans may moan at the thought of Njoku working with McDaniel, but LA is a solid landing spot for the veteran tight end. Say what you want of McDaniel as a head coach (I know I have), but he has every chance of being a solid NFL offensive coordinator, with the focus on just one side of the ball. And having seen the success of Jonnu Smith and Darren Waller in their time in Miami under McDaniel, it makes sense for Njoku to follow him to Los Angeles.
As said, it's a one-year deal for Njoku, so he's looking for a bounce-back type of season in hopes of a massive payday in 2027. Njoku didn't necessarily have a bad year in Cleveland, but rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr. outshone him, appearing in just 12 games last year for the Browns and failing to reach 300 yards receiving for the first time since the 2020 season.
For the Dolphins, they'll be in a better cap situation next year, plus the salary cap will go up. Thus, if they want to, they should be in a position to sign Njoku this time next year with a lucrative offer. It seems pretty clear, too, that Njoku wants to return to South Florida, so he may give the Dolphins a discount if and when the time comes.
It will highly depend on how Miami's TE room shows out this season. The 2026 season is all about development for the Dolphins. If the new regime likes what they see from Dulcich and he can stay healthy, they could bring him back again. There are no standouts in the room, but after taking Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore in the draft, it's packed nonetheless. If the Dolphins like what they have by the end of the season, there will be no reason to throw big money at Njoku or other top tight ends in the next free agency period.
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