The Cleveland Browns struggled again in Week 5, dropping a contest to the Washington Commanders, 34-13. With the Browns continuing to struggle, now tied for last place in the AFC North at 1-4, there’s a possibility they could look to trade some of their top players to improve their roster for 2025.
Amari Cooper is one of the players the Browns could look to move due to only having one year remaining on his contract.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department proposed a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, naming Mekhi Becton and Tyler Steen as potential players to target in a deal.
“The Eagles wide receiver corps is beat up right now with three out of four wideouts on the active roster recently popping up on the injury report, including A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith,” BR wrote on October 7. “Also, the team has been looking for a third receiver for a while now, and Cooper was recently listed on B/R’s NFL Trade Block Big Board column…
“Philadelphia could offer Cleveland Mekhi Becton or Tyler Steen as a bargaining chip to land Cooper.”
Cooper Not Aware of Trade Rumors
Due to the Cleveland Browns’ poor play, Cooper’s name has continued to come up in trade rumors. However, the wide receiver, who’s posted over 1,160 yards in each of the past two seasons, told reporters he hadn’t heard any of the rumors.
“I’m not aware of it, no,” Cooper said on October 3, according to Mark Inabinnet of Alabama.com. “Usually, if I don’t have a good game, I try to stay off of social media. That’s one thing that I’ve learned because, you know, I can be kind of sensitive about the way that I play. And just being on social media, it does nothing but heighten that. So, no, I haven’t seen any of that.”
The Browns wide receiver has continued to be a professional during his time with the organization, and he showed that again with his latest comment.
Why Cooper is An Interesting Name to Watch
The Cleveland Browns reworked Cooper’s deal during the offseason. Cooper only has $1.2 million on the books regarding his salary for the year. That figure would also be less now, considering the Browns have played five games.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke down Cooper’s contract situation on an episode of “SportsCenter.”
“Do I think the Browns are shopping him right now? No. But he’s got a very attractive salary because when they reworked his deal this offseason only $1.2 million is on the books base salary. So, teams could get him on the cheap. Only 30 years old, still a really good player. So, I do expect teams to at least call on Cooper,” Fowler said on October 5.
If a team like the Philadelphia Eagles were interested in landing him, he’d give them another elite wide receiver to pair with an already talented group that features DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown.
Nonetheless, it’s something the Browns might have to think about if they continue to lose games. Any loss from here on out could be a significant blow to their playoff chances, and losing him for nothing in the offseason wouldn’t provide any value for the organization.
