Browns Got Exactly What They Needed From Cooper Contract
Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
As we are now just over two weeks away from the Cleveland Browns opening preseason game vs. the Green Bay Packers, it’s safe to say that the roster is officially handled. The last glaring hole was the Amari Cooper contract drama, which Andrew Berry and Cooper’s camp cleaned up earlier this week.
In short, Cooper was on the last year of his deal with the Browns and was likely seeking a new deal to get him more money and a few more guaranteed years in the league with a huge salary. In the end, Cooper didn’t get the extension, but he did get a raise and his previous salary fully guaranteed contract for the 2024 season, perks that are highly sought after by players.
Cooper will now bring in $20 million guaranteed for the 2024 season and can earn another $5 million in incentives. The bottom line is, if Cooper has even a remotely good season, he will walk away with $25 million and be in line to receive a massive contract offer from another team heading into next year.
Who Came Out the Winner?
While it’s easy to look at this and call it a “win/win” for the Browns and Cooper, the slight edge arguably goes to Berry. Cooper has been a phenomenal asset over the last few seasons, but the fact that an extension didn’t happen suggests that he was asking for way too much money for anything long-term.
The Browns now have a great 1-2-3 punch at wide receiver this season in Cooper: Jerry Jeudy, and Elijah Moore. They accomplished this while being off the hook for a large salary for Cooper moving forward.
Even though Cooper is likely a top-ten wide receiver in the league, there isn’t much of a case for him to be in the top-five, and therefore doesn’t deserve to make $30 million-plus per year. This is an instance where Cleveland can’t afford to overpay a player, even if they are extremely good.
As an aside, one could argue that if things don’t go well in 2024, we will be having this exact same conversation about Deshaun Watson and his fully guaranteed contract (worth more than $230 million).
Yes, it does feel like the Browns won this deal, as now all the pressure falls entirely on Cooper to perform this season to make sure he still gets his payday. But the good news is, both sides seem happy, and if so, that truly is a win/win situation. Cleveland and Cooper won’t lose any days at camp over this situation, and this unit needs all the repetitions it can get under a new offensive coordinator.
What Does This Mean Moving Forward?
The clear takeaway from this one-year deal was that the two sides couldn’t agree on an extension. Either Cooper wanted way too much money, or Berry was unwilling to lock himself into Cooper for another two or three seasons. Luckily a compromise was made, because if Cooper had held out of camp and forced the Browns to release him, things it could have gotten ugly.
Ultimately, this deal almost certainly forecasts the end of the relationship for Cooper with the Browns. In a scenario where Cooper has a fantastic year, he will likely get a massive offer from another team in free agency that the Browns won’t be able to match. If Cooper instead has an average or down year, he will likely be frustrated that the Browns didn’t extend him the prior year and move on.
So, while this solves a major problem for the Browns in 2024, it sets them up for some huge question marks in 2025. Not only will Cooper likely be moving on (or a free agent at best), but Moore’s contract will also be up, and he could have a lot of interest if he has a decent year in 2024.
If both are headed out the door, Berry is likely looking at Jeudy and Cedric Tillman as his starting point for his top two wide receivers next season, which would be an insane drop in talent compared to what they have now. Jeudy may have gotten No. 1 wide receiver money this offseason, but we have yet to see any real consistency on the field just yet.
Once again, we are seeing another move that proves Berry and the Browns believe 2024 is THE season to push all the chips in. From making drastic moves on the offensive coaching staff to overspending on guys like Jeudy and Cooper, all in service of giving Watson the absolute best chance to succeed, there’s no doubt that the Browns think this is the peak of their competitive window.
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