There are rumors circulating that Amari Cooper, QB Deshaun Watson’s top wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, may not report to training camp. A Pro Bowler, Cooper is in the final year of his contract and has made it very clear he wants a new deal. He even went so far as to skip mandatory minicamp, which is a rarity for players in his position. Even if he does report to camp, he doesn’t have to practice, staging a “hold-in.”
While minicamp is technically mandatory, teams often forego their right to fine players for skipping it. Generally, this only comes up with pre-approved absences and significant players in contract disputes. But Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper haven’t worked together at all this offseason, so is he worried?
“Amari’s gonna be good. As far as the other stuff, that’s their business,” Watson said about Cooper recently, via the Cleveland.com’s YouTube channel. “I can’t get into all that. He knows that we love him and we want him back for sure.”
The Browns acquired Cooper via trade in 2022, by which time he was already a six-time Pro Bowler. Since then, he’s become the first Browns receiver in history to record consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. They also traded for Deshaun Watson that same offseason, and he has since played in all of 12 games.
The fact that Cooper has managed two 1,000-yard seasons while primarily playing with backups makes it all the more impressive. It also strengthens his case when arguing his value to the Browns, and why they need to keep him. He has proven that he is quarterback-proof, which is valuable in light of Watson’s availability issues.
But the Browns, of course, hope to have Watson and Cooper on the field together all season, and next season. Reportedly, they are willing to pay Cooper what he wants per year, but not the length of contract he wants. However that works out, though, he can’t afford to skip the season, so that doesn’t really matter to Watson.
“The connection’s been awesome,” he said. “It’s not like we’ve missed a beat. Amari’s always been there. We know what he can do. He’s shown that over the offseason. The brotherhood, the love, the communication, none of that stuff has missed a beat at all”.
Yet I don’t know that they have even seen each other this offseason. Watson has spent a lot of time rehabbing a shoulder injury, while Cooper hasn’t attended any practices. Watson has spearheaded some informal workouts with teammates, but Cooper has been cautious without a new contract in hand.
Over a nine-year career, Amari Cooper has 667 receptions for 9,486 yards and 60 touchdowns. He is one of only 32 players in NFL history to average at least 1,000 receiving yards through nine seasons. But he is also 30 years old now, and the Browns are reasonably anticipating diminishing returns.
Cooper understandably wants long-term security, but the Browns don’t want to pay for a 32-year-old wide receiver who is no longer worth a top-10 contract. They also face the problem, though, of being unable to develop receivers. They are invested in Watson for another three years, so they need to maximize their window.
