The Cleveland Browns found a gem two years ago when they traded for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper. The former Alabama star has been a total game-changer for Brown’s offense since 2022, has gone over 1,000 receiving yards in both seasons and has 14 receiving touchdowns since arriving in Cleveland. Still, there is a chance that he might not be seen in a Browns uniform again.
Amari Cooper Is Holding Out Of Cleveland Browns Practices
Last week, the Cleveland Browns started a mandatory minicamp, which means you get fined if you don’t show up. Cooper has not shown up since he is holding out for a new contract.
Usually, players who want a new contract will hold out on all football activities in a sign of protest. They also don’t want to get injured and reach a point where they can’t play the game anymore and have no contract to fall back on.
Cooper is doing what many players do every offseason, but a new report came out on Monday that does not give hope to any Browns fans. Brad Stainbrook from the Orange and Browns report stated that the team and Cooper are struggling to agree on the length of a contract extension.
Stainbrook stated that the salary part of the deal is not the issue; the problem is how many years to give him. Cooper just turned 30, and many wide receivers start to hit a wall when they reach that 30-year age window.
The team also traded for Denver Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy, who is five years younger than Cooper, and gave him a contract extension so he would be around Cleveland for a while.
If the Browns and Cooper can’t agree on a long-term deal, there is a chance he could be floated in trade talks to a team that will give him the years that he wants.
Cleveland is put in a tough spot because they can’t give Cooper a three-year deal. If something happens to him and he is not the same player after the first season, they will watch their money go to waste for the next two years. They already have that issue with quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has done nothing in the first two seasons with the team.
Hopefully, the Cleveland Browns and Cooper agree on some sort of deal because he is the best wide receiver on the team. If they lose him somehow, they will be in serious trouble, and they will not be able to move the ball down the field, and Watson will struggle once again this season.
