Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is not worried about Amari Cooper’s holdout and fully expects his top target to be ready to roll for the start of the season.
Cooper skipped OTAs and mandatory minicamp in June to send a message that he wants an extension. He is heading into the final year of a five-year, $100 million deal he signed with the Dallas Cowboys. He was recently recorded on social media saying, “I want to get paid this year.”
But Watson believes things are going to work out for Cooper. Browns veterans will report to training camp on July 23.
“Amari’s going to be good,” Watson said on Wednesday, July 17, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “As far as the other stuff, that’s their business. I can’t get into all that. He knows that we love him and we want him back for sure.”
Cooper holds significant leverage in negotiations after one of his best career years, during which he caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. The primary sticking point has been the length of the extension, per Brad Stainbrook of theOBR.com.
Cooper, 30, wants a few years of security after churning out a Pro Bowl season.
“The negotiations are ongoing but money is not the main issue. The Browns are willing to give Cooper an increased salary for this season,” Stainbrook said on June 17. “The sticking point is the length of the deal. The Browns have yet to offer Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper a contract extension longer than one year.”
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Ready to Compete
Watson and the Browns need Cooper happy and on the field next season. He’s Cleveland’s top option in the passing game and the Browns want to give Watson all the resources to be successful.
The Browns traded for Watson during the 2022 offseason in a blockbuster deal. Through two seasons, Watson has played in 12 games with mixed results. He’s passed for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Watson is coming off season-ending shoulder surgery but feels healthy and is ready to compete.
“Yeah, I’ve just been taking it one day at a time,” he said. “Everything’s been set in stone as far as just me going out there competing. There haven’t been any setbacks or anything that’s holding me back from going forward so far.”
Deshaun Watson Also Confident in Nick Chubb
Nick Chubb was another Browns player in the headlines this week. The Pro Bowl running back was the focus of a viral clip that showed him squatting 540 pounds just eight months after surgery to repair his torn left ACL. Watson was a big fan of seeing Chubb returning to his old self.
“No one on our team ever doubted Chubb,” Watson said. “If you have any doubt in Chubb, I think you’re supporting the wrong organization. Or anybody on this team. This culture is where it needs to be and it’s going in the right direction. And I think not just me but multiple guys, multiple coaches, and if you don’t see that, then like I said, you’re supporting the wrong organization and we don’t accept any negative energy. All positive and all things like that. That’s what we respect.”
Chubb suffered a catastrophic knee injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. The Browns and Chubb have yet to establish a firm timeline for his return to the field.
Cleveland opens the season on September 8 against the Dallas Cowboys.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
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