Austin Hooper says he's 'definitely leaning Cleveland'

Austin Hooper is close to a deal with the Cleveland Browns that will make him the NFL's highest-paid tight end, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Hooper told ESPN's Adam Schefter that he is "definitely leaning Cleveland."

"Unless something comes up unexpected, then no question Cleveland is the leader," Hooper told Schefter.

Fowler also reports that the Browns are the clear leader to land Hooper.

Hooper, 25, is coming off his best NFL season, with 75 catches for 787 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. He posted those numbers despite missing three games with an MCL sprain.

Through the first eight games, Hooper was fifth in the league among all receivers with 52 catches, only behind Michael Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins, Cooper Kupp and Julian Edelman.

The Falcons saw the potential in Hooper when they drafted him in the third round in 2016 out of Stanford. He developed into a serious threat under the tutelage of former tight ends coach Wade Harman and thrived in former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's system.

Through four seasons and 59 career games, Hooper has caught 214 passes for 2,244 yards with 16 touchdowns and 105 first downs on 274 targets. He had just one drop on 97 targets last season. Over the past three seasons, he leads all tight ends with a 77.3% catch percentage.

ESPN's Vaughn McClure contributed to this report.