The Cleveland Browns had two major question marks heading into Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Would star pass rusher Myles Garrett be healthy to return to action after suffering a hip injury? And will the Browns sign 2025 second-round pick Quinshon Judkins after his legal issues have been settled?
Well, there's now clarity on both ends for the Browns. After missing one practice, Garrett was back on the field practicing with the Browns. Now, Judkins has officially signed his rookie deal with the team. The deal, worth $11.4 million, keeps the rookie running back on the team for at least four years.
“Finally: the Cleveland Browns and their second-round pick Quinshon Judkins reached agreement today on a four-year, $11.4 million deal that now means all 2025 draft picks have deals,” Jeremy Fowler reports.
Judkins found himself in serious trouble in July, when the Browns rookie was arrested for a battery assault charge. Judkins was able to pay the bond set for him, but there was still an investigation into whether Judkins was guilty. The NFL also started their own investigation into the Browns rookie and whether he would be sanctioned.
A few weeks ago, the police investigation into Judkins' case was officially closed after prosecutors declined to pursue the case. That paved the way for the Browns to sign the second-round rookie running back. However, a deal wasn't set in place yet, presumbaly due to the NFL's continued investigation into the case.
Clearly, though, their stance has changed coming into the 2025 NFL season. The Browns do still have holdover Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson as their running backs had Judkins not been ready for the year. That being said, Cleveland picked the running back in the second round for a reason. He rushed for 1,060 yards in his final season in Ole Miss, helping them win the College Football Championship last year.
