Amari Cooper a no-show at Browns Minicamp: The WR’s contract details in Cleveland

The Cleveland Browns will no doubt be thrilled with the fact that quarterback Deshaun Watson was present for the first day of mandatory minicamp. On the other hand, wide receiver Amari Cooper was not which understandably raised some eyebrows.

What’s up with Amari Cooper

The mandatory minicamp of the Cleveland Browns kicked off on Tuesday and there was one noticeable absence, the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, Amari Cooper. While no official word has been given, we can only assume that Cooper’s failure to show is related to his push for a new contract. Where the team itself is concerned, head coach Kevin Stefanski would neither confirm or deny that idea, but he did indicate that Cooper’s absence was not excused, before stating that there has been dialogue between the Browns and Cooper’s representatives.

OK, but what about Amari Cooper’s contract?

Before we get to the facts and figures, it should be said that Cooper is now subject to fines for each day of the minicamp that he misses such that he will now face the sum of $16,953 for missing Day 1. While his agent Charlie Fields would give no further comment, Cooper’s teammate and starting quarterback, Deshaun Watson, was. “He’s the best in the league,” Watson said. “He shows it each and every year. He’s shown it the last two years with different quarterbacks, so I think you’ve got to put him up there with the best.” Cooper was of course traded to the Browns in 2022 from the Cowboys and has surpassed 1000 yards in each of the two seasons that he’s played in Cleveland since. In other words, Watson isn’t wrong.

Of course, Cooper holding out isn’t exactly a surprise with several players across several positions doing so in recent years. That said, we’ve definitely seen the wide receiver market heat up this offseason with Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson signing the largest non-quarterback contract in NFL history at four years for $140 million, and Miami’s Jaylen Waddle getting a massive payday with a three-year, $85 million deal.

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This brings us back to Cooper who is entering the last year of a 5-year, $100,000,000 contract that he originally signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Along with a signing bonus of $10,000,000, Cooper also got $60,000,000 guaranteed which puts him in line for a $20 million payday in 2024. At the moment, it remains unclear how this will play out, and even more so after the Browns just signed Jerry Jeudy to a three-year $52 million extension. Yet, having notched 72 catches for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns last season while making his fifth Pro Bowl, it would seem a smart choice to extend. That’s before we touch on the fact that he’s got a total of 9,486 yards and 60 touchdowns across 10 seasons in the league.

Ultimately, one has to imagine that an agreement will be reached given what we’ve discussed above. Until then, it seems he’s still got the support of his teammates which is always a good thing. “We all respect Coop and he’s got to handle what he’s got to handle,” Watson said when asked about Cooper’s situation. “Nobody is looking any different than on him. We all support him and he was here this weekend with us and we had a good time seeing him.”