A former linebacker for the Browns bids farewell to Cleveland through an Instagram post.
On Tuesday, Sione Takitaki, a former linebacker of the Browns bid farewell to Cleveland through his Instagram post. He is departing from the team and joining the Patriots after signing with them.
Expressing gratitude towards the city of Cleveland and Browns organization for his tenure, in a slideshow captioned by Takitaki himself; wherein he can be seen leading the team out of the tunnel at Cleveland Browns Stadium with a flag bearing their emblem. He thanked them for accepting him and his family wholeheartedly while building lasting bonds that will forever hold special significance to him.
“The celebration continues,” he stated, accompanied by an airplane and stocked up emoji.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Takitaki and New England reached an agreement on Monday night for a deal worth $6.5 million over two years with the potential of reaching up to $10 million.
After being chosen in the third round from BYU, he began playing for the Browns in 2019 and participated in a total of 72 games with an initial role as a starter for 36 of those games.
Over the past two seasons, a dependable player has emerged in the form of a 28-year-old. Following Anthony Walker Jr.’s injury in Week 3 of the year 2022, he stepped up as mike linebacker and performed admirably until his own season was cut short by an ACL tear during a victory over Houston on Week 13.
Shortly after his injury, he hustled to return and was present on the field for Week 1 versus Cincinnati in the past season.
He tallied a total of 81 tackles, seven being for a loss and three sacks along with four quarterback hits, one forced fumble and an interception over the last two seasons spanning across 27 games. In addition to this impressive stat line, he contributed majorly towards the Browns’ playoff-clinching win against the Jets by recording16 tackles on his own.
During Week 1, linebackers coach Jason Tarver remarked that he had observed the progression of a player who initially played as a sam and eventually grew to become adept at handling any position while maintaining focus. The player in question is Will, who continuously improved his skills over time. As fate would have it, last year presented him with an opportunity to take on the full-time role as mike linebacker; now demonstrating versatility across all positions.
In 2020, he secured a starting position and played in both playoff games for the Browns. His interception during the wild card game’s fourth quarter sealed their victory with an impressive score of 48-29, ending any hopes Pittsburgh had of staging a comeback.
On Monday, the Browns agreed to a two-year contract worth $8 million with Jordan Hicks, who previously played under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in Philadelphia. This news comes as they are also losing their captain Anthony Walker Jr. to the Dolphins.
