Source: Browns give Cooper raise, guarantees

Last updated: 2024/07/24 at 12:24 AM

BigP Published July 24, 2024

Daniel Oyefusi, ESPNJul 23, 2024, 03:12 PM ET
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BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns on Tuesday agreed to a restructured deal with wide receiver Amari Cooper that includes a $5 million raise, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, avoiding a continued contract dispute as veterans report for training camp.

Cleveland is also guaranteeing Cooper the $20 million currently left on the final year of his contract, the source told Schefter. Cooper originally signed a five-year, $100 million deal in 2020 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. The Browns are giving Cooper half of the $20 million guarantee in the form of a signing bonus. Cooper will still be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season.

Cooper did not attend mandatory minicamp in June, an absence head coach Kevin Stefanski said was not excused. While Stefanksi did not confirm the absence was contract-related, he said there has been a “dialogue” between the team and Cooper’s agent. Cooper was also not seen at any of the team’s OTA practices open to media.

Cooper’s decision to skip minicamp came as several wide receivers received lucrative contracts this offseason. This includes teammate Jerry Jeudy, whom the Browns traded for in March and subsequently gave a three-year extension worth $58 million.

“Sometimes all teams will have periods where they go through these types of situations,” general manager Andrew Berry said in June during an appearance on NFL Network’s “The Insiders.” “But it doesn’t change our affinity for Amari. We’ll navigate, call it, the business considerations and the business aspects as it goes. But he is a big part of our team. And just as importantly, he’s a big part of our culture.”

Browns veterans were scheduled to report for training camp on Tuesday and Cooper is at the team’s practice facility, a source said. The team is holding its first seven practices at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, beginning Thursday.

In March 2022, the Browns traded a 2022 fifth-round pick and swapped sixth-round picks for Cooper. In 2023, Cooper caught 72 passes for a career-high 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. He was also named to his fifth Pro Bowl.