The Browns and kicker Dustin Hopkins agreed to a three-year, $15.9-million contract extension on Monday, a league source confirmed for the Beacon Journal.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot were the first to report the extension.

The new deal makes Hopkins one of the NFL's highest-paid kickers. His annual average of $5.3 million is tied with the Houston Texans' Kai'mi Fairbairn for the fifth-highest average in the league.

Hopkins, 33, was acquired by the Browns last Aug. 28 from the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a 2025 7th-round draft pick. The Browns made the trade with the Chargers due to preseason inconsistencies with kicker Cade York, who they had taken in the fourth round of the 2022 draft.

York, who was released by the Browns after the Hopkins trade was made, re-signed with Cleveland on a futures deal in March. Monday's extension likely means York will be used mostly as a camp leg to keep Hopkins rested during training camp, if he remains on the roster.

Despite suffering what turned into a season-ending left hamstring injury while trying to make a tackle on a kickoff return in a Week 16 win at Houston, Hopkins was one of the league's best kickers last season. He made 33 of 36 field goals — a single-season franchise record for made field goals — and 24 of 26 point-after kicks.

Most impressive was Hopkins' performance on kicks of 50 yards or longer, on which he was 8 of 8 last season. The eight field goals of 50 yards or longer were a single-season franchise record.

Hopkins was honored in back-to-back weeks as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. The first one came in a Week 6 win over the San Francisco 49ers when he was 4 of 5 on field goals, including the go-ahead 29-yard kick with 1:40 remaining.

The following week, in a Week 7 win at the Indianapolis Colts, Hopkins earned his second consecutive AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award by going 4 of 4 on field goals. Three of the four kicks were 54 yards or longer, including a career-long 58-yarder to give the Browns a 33-31 lead with 6:33 remaining in the game.

Hopkins was also responsible for back-to-back game-winning field goals with less than 5 seconds. He kicked a 40-yard kick as time expired in a 33-31 Week 9 win at the Baltimore Ravens, then booted a 34-yarder the next week in Cleveland to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 13-10.

Hopkins also kicked a 34-yard field goals with 32 seconds remaining in a Week 15 home win over the Chicago Bears. That proved to be the game-winner when the Justin Fields' Hail Mary pass to Darnell Mooney fell incomplete as time expired.

The hamstring injury prevented Hopkins from kicking in the playoffs for the Browns. However, it's one of the few times the veteran has dealt with significant injuries, although most have come in the last two seasons.

Hopkins was limited to just five games while with the Chargers in 2022 due to a hamstring injury. That was to his right hamstring.

The only other time Hopkins was limited to less than 15 games in a season came in 2017 while he was kicking with Washington. He missed eight games due to a partially torn hip muscle.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dustin Hopkins, Browns agree to 3-year contract extension