CLEVELAND — *EDITOR'S NOTE: The video in the player above is from a previous story.
The Cleveland Browns and offensive guard Wyatt Teller have come to an agreement on a four-year contract extension, the team announced on Tuesday.
“Wyatt Teller’s NFL journey is a remarkable story of resiliency and work ethic,” Browns EVP of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. “He entered the NFL as an unheralded 5th round pick, was traded to a completely new organization and then placed in a position battle that gave him no assurances of playing time.
"Yet, rather than bemoaning his lot, he looked at his challenge as a great opportunity. During that time he completely changed his body composition, competed daily to earn his starting job and developed a ceaseless desire to learn from the best OL coach in our sport. To see Wyatt turn himself into one of the top guards in the game has been an enormous pleasure."'
Teller was set to be a free agent after this season, but will now remain in Cleveland through at least 2025. He is currently in his third year with the team and was one of the NFL's biggest breakout players last season, helping lead the way on the Browns' revamped offensive line. He has also been excellent lately after a bit of a slow start to 2021.
Last year, Teller earned second-team All-Pro honors and graded out as the best offensive guard in football according to Pro Football Focus, notching a 92.3 grade including a 93.6 grade in run blocking. This year, Teller has maintained that lofty standard, currently owning an 89.8 grade, good for second amongst all offensive guards in the NFL.
A former All-ACC guard at Virginia Tech, Teller was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft by the Buffalo Bills and made seven starts as a rookie, but was eventually traded to the Browns (along with a seventh-round pick) just prior to the next season for two low-round draft selections in 2020. He made nine more starts in 2019 before eventually becoming an All-Pro despite playing in just 11 games last year, making the move a steal for Cleveland.
“It’s been a long road,” Teller said. “I faced adversity. Drafted later than you think, and then I had an opportunity and tried to make the most of it. I got traded after that and was disappointed at first, but then you realize you’re wanted by another team and wanted by another city. I was given another opportunity and luckily I made the most of it.”
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says the deal is worth a total of $56.8 million for an average of $14.2 per season, making Teller the third-highest-paid guard in the league per Spotrac. Pelissero's colleague Mike Garafolo was the first to report the news.