Cleveland Browns Must Show Urgency With Amari Cooper Contract

It's about time the Cleveland Browns finally come to an agreement with wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Nov 27, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) makes a first down reception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during overtime at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns are playing a dangerous game with Amari Cooper.

Cooper has not attended any of the Browns' offseason workouts due to a contract standoff with the club. He is entering the final year of his deal, and with tons of other wide receivers landing lucrative extensions over the past several months, Cooper wants his piece of the pie.

Cleveland has yet to reach an agreement with Cooper, and it doesn't even appear that the two sides are making any progress (at least not in the public eye).

The problem is that the Browns begin training camp next week (veterans report next Tuesday), and if no deal is done by then, you can bet that Cooper will be absent.

Let me start by saying that I don't necessarily blame Cleveland for not giving in to Cooper's demands. Cooper's situation is different from wide outs like Justin Jefferson, AJ. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Those guys are all in their mid-20s (Brown is the oldest at 27). Cooper is 30.

The Browns understandably do not want to give Cooper a four-year deal and are probably aiming for something more in the two-year range, which would protect them against a potential Cooper decline over the next few seasons.

Surely, Cooper comprehends this logic, as well. He has to know that his circumstances are different from Jefferson's. Yes, Cooper is a terrific receiver and he is coming off of arguably the best season of his career, but age is absolutely a factor.

This is why I find it somewhat hard to fathom that Cooper wouldn't agree to a relatively short-term deal so long as the money is right.

That's what brings me to my central point here; the Browns may be trying to shortchange their No. 1 receiver.

To be clear, I am not privy to Cleveland's negotiations with Cooper. But it just seems difficult to believe that Cooper wouldn't have agreed to a two-year deal (or maybe a three-year deal with a club option for the final year?) if he felt he was being compensated appropriateley.

As a matter of fact, we already know that the Browns offered Cooper a one-year extension with no guaranteed money for that final year, so we have evidence that Cleveland's front office may be skimping here.

The Browns don't have any other legitimate options for a No. 1 wide out other than Cooper. Jerry Jeudy is a No. 2. Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman and the rest of the receivers on the roster couldn't even moonlight as top targets.

This gives Cooper some significant leverage, although Cleveland also has some leverage of its own knowing that Cooper probably won't risk sitting out 2024 with free agency on tap.

That being said, the Browns should not allow this to bleed into training camp. They need Cooper there with his teammates. They need Cooper if they want to win.

This is a team that won 11 games last season in spite of rifling through five different starting quarterbacks. Now, Deshaun Watson is healthy (hopefully), and if Cooper is present, Cleveland could end up being a legitimate threat in the AFC.

The Browns must know this, which is what makes their stubbornness in this particular situation all the more puzzling. A two-year extension with a good chunk of guaranteed money should be enough to entice Cooper to re-up. For some reason, Cleveland doesn't seem to be offering that.

It's time that the Browns put the pedal to the metal and expedite the negotiation process with Cooper. Sit down and make him a real offer.

Cleveland is a franchise that is desperate for any sort of postseason success. Since re-entering the NFL in 1999, the Browns have won just one playoff game. This current roster is talented enough to do that and more next winter. But Cooper needs to be there for that to happen.

I absolutely think that Cleveland will ultimately work something out with Cooper in the end, but the longer this drags out, the more it is going to potentially hamper the team's chances of making significant noise this coming season.

You don't want Cooper absent from training camp, and the way to get him there is by actually satisfying him with a new deal.