Amari Cooper's New Contract Details and Future With Browns
![Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4438,h_2496,x_0,y_40/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/browns_digest/01j3ngv2xew0tnregmxq.jpg)
The Cleveland Browns ended star wide receiver Amari Cooper's holdout earlier this week after both parties agreed to a restructuring of the veteran's contract.
According to cap analysis Michael Ginnitti, here are the full details of the contract:
The #Browns converted $18.79M of WR Amari Cooper's base salary into signing bonus, adding two additional void years, clearing $15.032M of cap space in 2024.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) July 25, 2024
Cooper is now fully guaranteed his previous $20M salary, with $5M of additional incentives available.
Cleveland will take…
The restructure of the team's leading wide receiver shocked Browns fans, as many anticipated Cooper was searching for a multi-year deal. However, the full details of the contract creates more clarity towards the situation:
The Browns added dummy salaries into 2025-2028, affording them the opportunity to designate WR Amari Cooper a post June 1st release next March. This move would split his voidable dead cap into $7.5M for 2025, $15M for 2026.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) July 25, 2024
Ultimately, general manager Andrew Berry created more cap space for this season and pushed Cooper's owed money to future years. If the Browns decide to designate Cooper post Jun 1, the team would pay a majority of the contract in the year 2026.
Cooper has played a critical role in Browns' offense the past two seasons. The 30-year-old pass catcher is coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons in the brown and orange while grabbing 14 touchdowns.
Cleveland faced a tough dilemma earlier this offseason when Cooper announced he would be holding out of offseason activities until a new deal was reached. The five-time Pro-Bowler is entering his final season with the team and was on the hunt for a new deal. With the Browns in "win-now" mode, the team did not want to risk heading into the year without Cooper on the field.
Cooper's new deal does allow for the Browns to potentially extend him after this season, which could spread out Cooper's cap hit. This clever move by Berry gives the team more time to assess how the aging wide receiver performs in his 10th season.