Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield says he hasn't linked up with his newest star running back ... telling TMZ Sports he's yet to talk to Kareem Hunt since joining the Browns.

The star QB -- along with his fiancee, Emily Wilkinson -- was at LAX over the weekend and we asked if he's had a chance to connect with Hunt after the team signed him last Monday.

Of course ... it's been a busy week for Bake -- he had a romantic Valentine's dinner with Emily ... and just got back from a trip to Denver with his Oklahoma teammates.

As for Bake's teammates, we spoke with David Njoku about the new addition ... and he says he's excited to welcome Hunt aboard. So, we're assuming the guy won't be getting the cold shoulder.

Ex-NFL star Larry Johnson is sick of watching young players like Kareem Hunt make the same STUPID mistakes he made as a player ... and wishes they'd "get their heads out of their asses" and reach out for help.

"I hope these guys will start realizing that there's nothing you've done that other players haven't done already," the former K.C. Chiefs running back told us.

Of course, Johnson was a STUD in his prime -- but, his NFL career was marred by off-the-field issues ... including violent incidents with a woman.

But, Larry says he's a changed man now -- he's learned the hard way -- and wants to make sure other talented players don't throw away their careers because they're too dumb to learn from his mistakes.

"Hopefully young guys will start reaching out to older players who have been in these situations before they get themselves in these situations," Johnson said.

"I wish these young players will get their heads out of their ass and really use the veterans to help them stay away from these issues."

Cleveland Browns stud tight end David Njoku says he's "excited" to play with Kareem Hunt next season -- telling TMZ Sports the RB will only add more firepower to an already explosive offense.

"I'm really excited that he's here," Njoku said ... "I know he can definitely help our offense in years to come rather than just next year."

You already know the backstory with Hunt ... but Njoku says he's "comfortable" playing with the former Chiefs star and wants to help him move forward with his career.

Njoku is also STOKED to get back on the field with Baker Mayfield.

"Baker coming to Cleveland is one of the greatest things that's ever happened to us. His mindset, his mentality ... he's the man!"

Of course, Cleveland hasn't won a division title since 1989 -- but Njoku is confident 2019 will be the year the Dawg Pound gets back in the postseason ... thanks to stars like Nick Chubb, Antonio Callaway, Jarvis Landry and others.

"We're very confident in each other ... and it's going to be a very fun year next year."

We also spoke with Njoku about his brothers -- who are also freak athletes and will both be playing college ball next season -- and he says he wouldn't be surprised if they're all balling in the league at the same time!!

Earnest Byner says he's in favor of the Browns giving Kareem Hunt a second chance ... IF the ex-Chiefs superstar and the team can show he's a changed man.

TMZ Sports spoke with the ex-Brown shortly after Cleveland inked the troubled RB ... and he says BOTH Hunt and the team have to show more for him to accept the controversial signing.

Byner -- who trained with Hunt before the draft -- tells us he wants to see if Kareem has "gone through a process of development" before he throws his support behind the move.

Don't get it twisted ... Earnest says he's all in favor of second chances -- he just believes what Kareem did to a female in an altercation at a Cleveland hotel last year was unacceptable.

"We don't support the violence against women. Okay? That will never happen. That should not be."

For their part ... both general manager John Dorsey and Hunt himself issued statements insisting the running back has learned his lesson.

"What I did was wrong and inexcusable," Hunt said Monday.

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn says his team DID consider signing Kareem Hunt ... but ultimately passed, saying, "I want good people in this organization."

The Lions brass held a Q&A session for season-ticket holders at Ford Field on Monday ... when Quinn opened up to a fan on why Kareem is in a Browns jersey now and not a Lions one.

Bob didn't hold back ... saying the troubled RB did NOT fit the mold of the kind of player they want on their team.

"We talked about it internally and he’s a player that we didn’t feel comfortable bringing to the Lions for numerous issues."

"I stand by that. That’s my word. I want good players and I want good people in this organization.”

Of course, Browns GM John Dorsey seems to disagree ... after signing Kareem on Monday he said, "Given what we know about Kareem through our extensive research, we believe he deserves a second chance."

Kareem Hunt deserved a second chance in the NFL and it's GOOD the Browns signed him Monday ... so say 2 NFL players, who tell TMZ Sports they're happy for the RB.

We got Titans TE Jonnu Smith and Eagles DB Jeremiah McKinnon out in L.A. just hours after Cleveland inked the ex-Chiefs star ... and both say they're glad the deal went down.

"I think it's good, man, that he got another opportunity," Jonnu says ... "Everybody makes mistakes. I'm just glad the NFL is giving guys second chances."

Added Jeremiah, "We're just glad he got a second chance."

Remember, Kansas City shockingly cut the superstar in November after TMZ Sports posted a video showing him getting violent with a woman in a Cleveland hotel.

Hunt apologized almost immediately after ... and has said he's undergoing treatment for alcohol and anger management to make sure similar incidents never happen again.

The Browns clearly think he's done enough to earn another job in the NFL ... 'cause they signed him to a reported 1-year deal -- with GM John Dorsey saying, "Given what we know about Kareem through our extensive research, we believe he deserves a second chance."

The Cleveland Browns have announced they've signed Kareem Hunt -- the former Chiefs star who was cut after TMZ Sports posted a video showing him getting violent with a woman in a Cleveland hotel.

Browns general manager John Dorsey announced the signing today -- a reported 1-year deal -- saying there were two important factors to signing the RB:

"One is that Kareem took full responsibility for his egregious actions and showed true remorse and secondly, just as importantly, he is undergoing and is committed to necessary professional treatment and a plan that has been clearly laid out."

Hunt had previously said he was getting treatment for alcohol and anger management after multiple allegations of off-the-field violence. We broke the story ... Hunt shoved and kicked a woman during a Feb. 10, 2018 altercation.

For his part, Hunt has issued a new statement saying, "First off, I would like to once again apologize for my actions last year. What I did was wrong and inexcusable."

"That is not the man I was raised to be, and I’ve learned a great deal from that experience and certainly should have been more truthful about it after the fact."

"I’m extremely grateful that John Dorsey, Dee and Jimmy Haslam and the Cleveland Browns organization are granting me the opportunity to earn their trust and represent their organization in the best way possible on and off the field."

"I am committed to following the necessary steps to learn and to be a better and healthier person from this situation. I also understand the expectations that the Browns have clearly laid out and that I have to earn my way back to the NFL."

"I’m a work in progress as a person, but I’m committed to taking advantage of the support systems that I have in place to become the best and healthier version of myself."

The Browns are pretty solid in the running back position after a strong rookie year from starter Nick Chubb. It'll be interesting to see how Hunt fits into the offensive plans.

John Dorsey acknowledges the Hunt signing is controversial -- and says the team thought long and hard before signing him.

"We fully understand and respect the complexity of questions and issues in signing a player with Kareem’s history and do not condone his actions," Dorsey said.

"Given what we know about Kareem through our extensive research, we believe he deserves a second chance but certainly with the understanding that he has to go through critical and essential steps to become a performing member of this organization, aside from what the NFL determines from their ongoing investigation."

At this point, the NFL still has not decided on a punishment for Hunt -- he could face a serious suspension.

We recently spoke with Hunt's former teammates, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, who told us they're rooting for Hunt to get a second chance and still consider him a friend.

Jarvis Landry isn't playing around about his intentions to bring Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell to the Browns ... telling TMZ Sports he REALLY wants 'em in Cleveland.

Landry has previously reached out to both guys on Twitter -- and even tried to set up a 3-way call between the superstars to convince them CLE is the place to be.

So, when we saw Juice leaving Magic City -- one of the GREATEST booty clubs on Earth -- we had to ask if he's still trying to bring the Steelers players to the Dawg Pound.

"We want to! We want to," Jarvis said ... "We should!"

The Browns offense would be INSANE with that group -- joining a stacked offense that already includes Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, David Njoku, Antonio Callaway and more.

Look, the chances of both guys ending up in Cleveland are probably slim ... but, it's also unlikely Brown and Bell will both be in Pittsburgh next year.

Now, the question is ... where will they land?

Devon Cajuste -- the ex-Cleveland Browns tight end who became a fan favorite on "Hard Knocks" -- is retiring from pro football to focus on his true passion ... healing, spirituality and crystals.

And, if you watched the show ... this really shouldn't come as too big of a surprise.

When he wasn't battling for a roster spot with his father cheering him on ... Devon spent his free time during Browns training camp working with crystals and learning about healing.

In fact, one of the most memorable scenes from the show was when Devon showed off his crystal collection and explained how different crystals emitted different kinds of energy.

The former Stanford player was ultimately cut by the Browns after prior stints with the 49ers and Packers -- and, after considering giving the NFL another shot in 2019 ... he's now decided to switch careers.

The 26-year-old says he was never really fulfilled by playing football -- but has found true joy through his experience with crystals.

"I am leaving as an example to follow your passion, stop chasing other peoples dreams, and trust to let go," Cajuste says ... "I discovered the ability to aid people in helping themselves."

Hey, gotta respect that.

Hue Jackson was so furious after getting the axe from Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam after a Week 8 loss to the Steelers, he cussed at his boss and threw him out of his office.

This is all according to an explosive new ESPN report which says ... if you couldn't tell ... things were a MESS behind the scenes in Cleveland this year.

Haslam reportedly went to Jackson's office to deliver the news after the team had chalked up another loss -- sending their record to 2-5-1 on the season.

When Haslam told Jackson that the team had "quit" on him and the Browns were firing the head coach, Jackson reportedly said, "Get the f*ck out of my office."

So, why such anger in a moment EVERYONE saw coming?

According to the report, Jackson's position is that Haslam had given him a vote of confidence behind the scenes -- telling him the team would be firing offensive coordinator Todd Haley, not Jackson.

When Haslam decided to move on from Hue on October 29 ... Jackson didn't see it coming (despite an overall 3-36-1 record with the organization) and lost his cool.

The article also paints Haslam as a guy who's in over his head -- who was adamant on selecting Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft over Teddy Bridgewater because "something about Bridgewater's handshake rubbed Haslam the wrong way."

Of course, Manziel flamed out of the league while Bridgewater ended up being a pretty solid QB (despite injuries).

Haslam also reportedly nicknamed ex-VP of football operations Sashi Brown, who is black, "Obama" because of his Harvard degree ... which made people in the Browns organization uncomfortable and came off as racial stereotyping.

Brown, however, did not find the nickname disrespectful.

Baker Mayfield took ANOTHER jab at Hue Jackson ... AND joked about a crotch grab that got him suspended -- and it all went down in a video skit with Peyton Manning's bro.

Baker went on Cooper Manning's "Manning Hour" -- a FOX NFL Sunday skit ... and while he was "cooking" up a cake -- he took a jab at his ex-coach while praising his current one.

Cooper: "Look, if you're not a fan of kitchens, it's OK."

Baker: "No, I love kitchens."

Cooper: "Yeah, kitchens are great. They're better than Jacksons."

Baker: "Anything's better than Hue -- oh, um, you."

Of course, Mayfield and Jackson have had a longstanding beef ever since Hue bolted for the rival Bengals after being fired from Cleveland back in October.

There's more ... Mayfield also mocked a sideline crotch grab that earned him a suspension back when he was a QB at Oklahoma.

Cooper: "Grab the nuts."

Baker: "NFL doesn't really like it when I do that."

Cooper: "No, the nuts!"

Baker: "Oh! Sorry, I have a history with that."

This ain't the first time this month Baker's mocked an issue he's had in the past ... he also laughed off his Arkansas arrest in a Fortnite stream last week.

Baker Mayfield's clearly moving on from a drunken arrest he called "the biggest mistake of my life" ... 'cause he joked about the whole incident on a Fortnite stream earlier this week.

The Browns superstar took to Twitch to show off his gaming skills ... and while he was running with his avatar, he said, "Hopefully I’m running faster than I was in Arkansas right now!"

Of course, Baker was arrested back in Arkansas in February 2017 ... where he was infamously blasted by a cop who caught him immediately after he tried to run from being questioned.

Baker apologized shortly after the incident, saying, "I made the biggest mistake of my life by putting myself in this situation."

"The shame, guilt, and embarrassment I have felt over the past few days and continue to feel is something I would never wish upon anybody."

Clearly, Bake's ready to joke about the whole thing now ... broadcasting his Twitch stream to thousands of followers.

Nick Chubb's got a message for Colin Cowherd and every other Browns doubter ... WE ARE MAKING THE PLAYOFFS NEXT SEASON!!!

Of course, Cowherd -- who's had a consistent (and quasi-friendly) beef with star QB Baker Mayfield -- strongly disagrees ... tellin' us just a couple days ago the Browns ain't getting into the 2019 dance.

But, Chubb thinks the FS1 star is wrong ... and tells TMZ Sports straight-up, "Yeah, we will [make the playoffs]. We will."

Chubb's got a good case ... he turned into a star running back ... Baker's an elite QB talent -- AND new head coach Freddie Kitchens seems poised to turn the whole thing around.

We also talked to Chubb about who will win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors next month ... Chubb says it won't be him -- and ya gotta hear why he thinks Baker will be the pick over Saquon Barkley.

Colin Cowherd says there's a lot to like about Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns next season ... BUT THEY AIN'T MAKING THE POSTSEASON!

Colin and the Browns QB have an interesting relationship -- remember, they sparred on the FS1 star's show back in June ... and Mayfield still takes shots at him on Twitter now and then.

Now, after Baker's sensational rookie season (he broke the rookie TD record) we asked Colin if he's punched his ticket on the Browns hype train going into 2019.

"I don't dislike Baker," Colin told us at LAX ... "I actually think there's a lot that's incredibly charming."

On the positive side ...

"I think he's a gamer. I think he's tough, really accurate."

On the negative side ...

"I think there's a lot of nonsense, he needs to grow up."

As far as playoffs go, Colin told us not to go crazy -- saying, "They'll win games. They have too many good players."

But, they ain't gonna beat the Steelers and they ain't makin' the playoffs.

The Browns are coming off their best season in years -- with a 7-8-1 record -- and got REAL close to sneaking into the playoffs this year.

Antonio Brown might want out ... but here's one guy who REALLY wants to be on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster next season -- ex-Browns backup QB Brogan Roback!!!

You remember Brogan from this season's "Hard Knocks" ... he busted his ass behind Baker Mayfield and Tyrod Taylor in the preseason. And then, he famously took his smokin' hot GF to a butterfly garden.

Yeah, she's insanely hot.

It didn't work out for Brogan in CLE ... but the former Eastern Michigan star got a bunch of workouts with other teams after getting cut and ultimately signed a reserve/futures deal with Pittsburgh.

We spoke with Roback and you can tell he's SUPER excited about his shot in the Steel City -- telling TMZ Sports he's laser-focused on making that roster.

"I want to help in any way I can. If that's practice, do cards, whatever it may be. I just want to be able to prove myself."

He added, "[Making] that roster is the biggest thing. This is a dream."

Brogan says he's grateful to have an entire offseason to learn the Steelers playbook and promises to study like crazy so he's prepared for camp.

Remember when Mark Wahlberg bet big money on the Cleveland Browns to win 6 games this season, and everyone laughed in his face??

Welp ... ya should've listened to the man, 'cause the movie star is lookin' like a damn genius now that Baker Mayfield and co. have secured 7 wins this season!!

Of course ... when we spoke with Marky Mark back in July, the Orange and Brown were coming off an 0-16 season, and still had Hue Jackson as head coach at the time, so 6 wins seemed nearly impossible.

But, Wahlberg's faith in the rookie QB paid off big ... and although he never revealed just how much he wagered, you know he ain't wasting his time with small bets.

At the time, Wahlberg told us he made 2 other big NFL bets -- picking both the Eagles and Patriots to get back to the Super Bowl ... and both of those bets are still alive!