When news first broke that the Browns and Amari Cooper had reached a deal on his contract extension, fans breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the team’s top wide receiver would finally be back in the fold before training camp started.
It was a quick sigh, however.
Cooper and the Browns agreed to restructure the final year of his existing contract, reportedly settling on $20 million in guaranteed salary and up to $5 million in potential incentives this season.
In essence, Cooper and Cleveland appear no closer to a long-term resolution than when this holdout began in June.
Instead, the Browns bandaged their problem for this year in a win-at-all-cost move that left more questions unanswered about the team’s long-term plans.
Although Cooper turned 30 in June, the receiver has shown little signs of slowing down, and a multiyear deal with void years attached in later seasons would have provided the Browns with some assurance Cleveland would remain his home for as long as he played at a high level.
Now, Cooper is free to walk after this season, and finding top-tier receivers has not been a specialty for the current Browns’ front office.
Despite his age – or perhaps because of it – Cooper is praised as a consummate professional and for being significantly different than other wide receivers in the league who prefer to have the spotlight shining brightly on them.
Does Odell Beckham Jr. ring a bell?
Signing Cooper to a multiple-year deal should have been the team’s focus, and perhaps could end up as one of the bigger missteps the current regime has made.
Now, the Browns could wind up the losers of this contract negotiation should Cooper walk next year, leaving Cleveland with nothing in exchange for a top-tier receiver.
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