Amari Cooper is a focal point of the Cleveland Browns’ offense, especially with the status of Nick Chubb uncertain. Equally uncertain is Cooper’s future contract status. Reportedly, the Browns are unwilling to offer him more than one year on a contract extension. Perhaps that’s the reason he skipped minicamp practices.
“The Browns are willing to give Cooper an increased salary for this season”, Brad Stainbrook writes for the Orange and Brown Report. “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”.
Cooper is entering the final year of his contract. He signed A five-year, $100 million deal in 2020 with the Dallas Cowboys before his trade to Cleveland. With the Browns for the past two seasons, he has offered consistent production amid quarterback inconsistency.
Cooper caught 78 passes for 1,160 yards and 9 touchdowns during the 2022 season. Last year, limited to 15 games, he caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was voted into the Pro Bowl for his play in 2023, his first such honor since 2018.
“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”, Browns executive vice president of football operations Andrew Berry said yesterday. “But he’s also a great teammate and he’s a great professional, and we’re happy to have him as a member of the organization”.
He added that every team goes through “these type of situations”, which is admittedly true, but it doesn’t change their feelings about Cooper as a player or person. “We’ll navigate the business considerations and aspects as it goes. But he is a big part of our team, and just as importantly, he’s a big part of our culture”.
Of course, that doesn’t say much of anything, and aligns with what teams always say during contract talks. The reality is that Amari Cooper is 30 years old. If they sign him to a one-year contract extension, they give themselves some cushion to avoid free agency next year.
But it doesn’t provide Cooper with the peace of mind he is looking for, apparently. Players very typically prefer the stability of long-term contracts, but teams only become more reluctant as players get older. Thirty is not unreasonably old for a wide receiver, especially not one who relies on his long speed. But it is getting up there.
Cooper has earned over $116 million during his nine-year career and will earn at least another $20 million this year. Barring immense recklessness, he should never want financially for the rest of his life. But there is always a going rate for services rendered, and he is still among the best in the game. He is entirely in his right to expect to be treated like it. And for him, that includes the respect of a long-term contract.
