Amari Cooper is locked in for next season with the Cleveland Browns but his future with the franchise remains murky.
The Browns agreed to guarantee Cooper’s $20 million for this season and added $5 million in incentives for the Pro Bowl pass-catcher. It was a solid compromise for both sides but did little to secure Cooper’s future in Cleveland. He’s scheduled to be a free agent next offseason.
“I’m content for sure. Obviously I wanted more guarantees in the contract, just because I feel like I’ve earned it,” Cooper said on Thursday, July 25. “But you know, you can always get what you wish for all the time. It’s definitely noted. If I have to go earn it, that’s what I’ll do.”
Cooper, 30, is coming off one of the best years of his career. He caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. He caught 78 passes for 1,160 the year prior and added nine touchdowns.
The Browns will push to keep him around if he puts up similar numbers. But Cooper could also have other suitors as a free agent, making the task more difficult.
Amari Cooper Said He Wasn’t Going to Hold Out
Cooper skipped mandatory minicamp but reported to training camp after the revised deal. He said that holding out of training camp was not in his plans, despite the contract negotiations.
“Holding out was never in the cards. I don’t have any experience doing it,” Cooper said. “I’m kind of a routine kind of guy, and I’m the type of guy I need those reps, you know? I always knew I was going to be here at training camp for sure.”
Regarding his future with the franchise, Cooper hopes he can stay put in Cleveland with an extension.
“It’s been nothing but success here in terms of what I’ve been able to do on the field. I look to get better each and every year while I’m here,” Cooper said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So I’m not really trying to go somewhere else. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I would rather stay.
“I don’t really like change. If change happens, which you know, a lot of times, it inevitably does, you have to be able to adjust and adapt to any situation. So I’m very adaptable, but at the same time, I don’t necessarily like the change.”
Amari Cooper Excited to Work Alongside New Browns WR Jerry Jeudy
GettyWide receiver Jerry Jeudy of the Cleveland Browns.
Cooper will have a new partner in the passing game in Jerry Jeudy. The Browns traded for Jeudy this offseason, adding the former first-round pick alongside Cooper, Elijah Moore and others.
Cooper, Moore and Jeudy are all from Florida. Cooper anticipates some “fireworks” from the passing game this season.
“It’s definitely a phenomenal thing that we have all Florida receivers out there,” Cooper said. “We’re all South Florida guys. We’re already good route runners. We all have been playing football since a very young age. … I think we’ll definitely feed off of each other in a good way. And, you know, it could definitely be some fireworks out there this year.”
The Browns open the season against the Dallas Cowboys on September 8.
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