The Cleveland Browns and Amari Cooper are currently in a contract standoff, but the 30-year-old wide receiver is still seen as a key part of the team’s future.
Cooper skipped voluntary OTAs and the Browns’ mandatory minicamp from June 11-13. The Pro Bowl pass-catcher is heading into the final year of his contract and is holding out for a new deal.
Cooper is set to make $23.7 million next season — the final year of a five-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2020 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. He’d like a raise and long-term security with wide receiver contracts skyrocketing around the league.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry spoke on the situation with Cooper while giving his Pro Bowl receiver a very positive review.
“What I will say about Amari is since he’s been a member of the Cleveland Browns, he’s obviously been a high-level, Pro Bowl-caliber receiver,” Berry said during a June 17 appearance on NFL Network. “But he’s also a great teammate and he’s a great professional. We’re happy to have him as a member of the organization.
“Sometimes all teams will have periods where they go through this type of situation, but it does not change our affinity for Amari. We’ll navigate the business considerations, the business aspects, as it goes, but he is a big part of our team, and just as important, he’s a big part of our culture.”
Amari Cooper Coming Off Big Year With Browns
Getty ImagesThe Browns are in a contract dispute with wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Cooper carried the Browns’ offense last season despite catching passes from four different quarterbacks. He racked up 1,250 yards on 72 catches. Cooper’s standout performance came on Christmas Eve against the Houston Texans. He caught 11 passes for 265 yards — a franchise single-game record.
“He’s the best in the game, and I believe that. He shows it each and every year,” quarterback Deshaun Watson said of Cooper on June 11. “He showed it the last two years with different quarterbacks. So, I think you got to put him up there, if not the best.”
Cooper’s hard stance on landing an extension may be about timing more than anything. He’s coming off a big season and risks losing out big if he is injured or doesn’t churn out another top-tier season. Cooper has dealt with some injuries in both of his seasons with the Browns, although it’s rarely limited him from playing. He’s played in 32 out of 34 regular-season games with Cleveland.
Browns Handed Jerry Jeudy Extension
GettyWide receiver Jerry Jeudy of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns handed wide receiver Jerry Jeudy an extension shortly after trading for him in March. The three-year extension is worth $58 million, including $41 million guaranteed at signing. That move likely didn’t sit great with Cooper, considering Jeudy has yet to play a snap in a Browns uniform.
Jeudy came in as a first-round pick. The Broncos selected him No. 15 overall in 2020. He has notched 3,053 yards on 211 catches with 11 touchdowns in his career. Jeudy expressed excitement over being able to team up with Cooper, who has been one of his mentors.
“It means a lot,” Jeudy said. “In my time at Bama, I got a chance to catch up with Amari and become close friends with him. That’s a guy that I’ve been modeling my game after for a long time and been watching him since I was young. So, being able to play alongside him it’s going to be exciting.”
The Browns open the season on September 8 against the Dallas Cowboys.
J.R. DeGroote covers the NFL and NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide sports as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SB Nation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
