Carlson Gets Contract Tender From Browns

A contributor to Cleveland’s long-anticipated return to the NFL playoffs last season received a contract tender from the team Friday.

According to their website, the Browns placed a tender on exclusive rights free agent tight end and Jamestown native Stephen Carlson. Exclusive rights free agents, the announcement noted, have the option of signing their tender or sitting out the season.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Carlson, who signed with the Browns in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, appeared in all 16 regular-season games with two starts last season. He caught one pass for 11 yards while also serving as one of the team’s leaders on special teams where he was third with nine tackles. He also recovered the onside kick that helped seal the Browns’ playoff-clinching victory over the Steelers in Week 17.

Receiving the tender wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but the 2015 Jamestown High School and 2019 Princeton University graduate knows he still has work to do.

“Have another year,” he said via text Friday evening, “but still have to make the team.”