Gary Barnidge: One Year Wonder?

I would like to announce I have signed an extension to remain in Cleveland. Looking forward to years to come. pic.twitter.com/X75uXvggCH

— Gary Barnidge (@garybarnidge) December 10, 2015

By: Tim Durr

Who remembers Patrick Jeffers, Germane Crowell, or Derrick Mayes? Maybe Drew Bennett will ring a bell, no? 

If it was 2001, then you might have a better clue of who some of these guys are. 

They're the equivalent of Vanilla Ice, Devo, Chumbawamba, and Right Said Fred: One Hit Wonders.

The Cleveland Browns announced today that they're giving a contract extension to tight end Gary Barnidge. 

The jury is still out if he'll be a one-hit wonder but he gives many of the signs that say he will.

At age 30, Barnidge spent the first seven seasons of his NFL career being completely irrelevant. After being drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2008, he went on to post 18 receptions for 320 yards and 1 TD in five seasons. 

Then he went to Cleveland where he spent the next two years compiling 26 catches for 283 yards and 2 TDs. 

In his eighth season in the league, he has finally popped, posting 60 receptions, 817 yards and 7 TDs on an offensively challenged Browns team. He leads the team in catches, touchdowns, and is only 9 yards behind Travis Benjamin for tops in yardage. 

Those numbers are solid, but I have one name I'd like to remind Browns fans of...Peyton Hillis.  

He was taken in that same 2008 draft as Barnidge, he blew up for 11 touchdowns and 1,100 yards rushing in 2010. Then, he didn't break 600 yards the next season and his numbers dipped until this season, when he doesn't have any numbers at all. 

Barnidge might be different but the history of guys having later career breakouts aren't very common in the NFL.

One thing going for Barnidge is that even though his career numbers are low, it's largely because he didn't see many targets. His 93 targets this year are almost 20 more than he had in his entire career.

For the sake of the Browns and Barnidge, hopefully the issue was that he was used too much for blocking and didn't get the chance to show off his receiving skills. 

The details of the deal haven't been announced yet, but if he gets more than a three-year extension, Cleveland is probably once again making an error in their focus as a team. 

It's Cleveland though, that wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.