After rumors started swirling last week, Mary Kay Cabot broke the news that the Cleveland Browns have officially signed undrafted rookie Isaiah Bond to a three-year, fully guaranteed deal at just over $3 million.
At just over $3 million guaranteed, #Browns undrafted free agent Isaiah Bond gets a guarantee that fits in between the final pick of the second round ($4.2 million) and the first pick of the third round ($1.6 million). pic.twitter.com/dwXPGlJddM
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 18, 2025
According to Mike Garafolo, Bond ultimately secured a deal that aligns with what the final second-round pick and the first third-round pick of the 2025 NFL draft received. Before the off-field issues, Bond was rated by many as a second or third-round grade.
This does two things for the Browns this season. One, it locks up a guy who can bring a lot of wrinkles into the offense. Bond has straight-line speed, which is great, but he also has shiftiness and quickness, which are just as important. Bond will be utilized as a decoy on deep routes, as well as the end-around reverse guy who has the speed to hit the corner.
The nature of this contract guarantees Bond’s spot on the 53-man roster, with the cutdown deadline a little over a week away. So locks at WR will be Jeudy, Tillman, Thrash, Bond and then you add Carter as the primary returner. Probably only one spot up for grabs now. https://t.co/91UH0R2Tou
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 18, 2025
Secondly, he likely locks up the Browns' receiver room heading into the regular season. With a guaranteed deal, he’s going to be on the 53-man roster along with Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and Jamari Thrash. Daniel Oyefusi points out that if DeAndre Carter is kept as a return specialist, there is likely only one spot remaining between Diontae Johnson, Kaden Davis, and Gage Larvadain.
At this point, I’d prefer to see Johnson and Larvadain as the final two on the roster, and give Larvadain a shot at returning kicks. Not only has he had a strong camp as a receiver, but he’s also looked more than capable in the return game. What you can get from him at receiver down the road trumps keeping Carter at this point.