Browns might have a longer issue with their star wide receiver
The Cleveland Browns didn’t have star WR Amari Cooper for mandatory minicamp last week. Cooper reportedly is looking for a new contract from the team as he enters the final year of his five-year, $100 million contract that he signed with the Dallas Cowboys.
How quickly Cooper went from a salary dump trade for the Cowboys to an important part of a playoff roster deserving of a new deal. That says a lot about how well Cooper has played for the Browns and how quickly the wide receiver market has exploded.
For now, Cleveland seems to have only one concern on offense but an extended holdout by their top receiver would create a much bigger hole. There have been little in ways of rumors or reports around the situation until today.
According to a report from Brad Stainbrook of The OBR, the Browns and Cooper are struggling to make progress toward a new deal:
The Browns are willing to give Cooper an increased salary for this season. 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, a league source tells TheOBR.com.
Cooper turned 30 years old today (6/17/2024). As we compared earlier this offseason, WR Calvin Ridley is just six months younger than Cooper and far less productive. Ridley signed a four-year, $92 million deal this offseason. For Cleveland to match that, an extension for Cooper would add three more years and $72 million to his current deal.
As noted by Stainbrook, the star wide receiver has many reasons to turn down the Browns current offer. As we get closer to training camp, it will be interesting to see which side gives or if a camp holdout (or hold-in as we’ve seen many times around the league) takes place.
How much do you think Cooper deserves in an extension? What do you think the outcome of this contract standoff will be?