Browns Amari Cooper Opens Up About Being Mentioned In Brandon Aiyuk Trade Rumors

The Cleveland Browns top wideout also downplayed his cryptic social media post while rumors swirled about his future with the team

Aug 4, 2024; Cleveland Browns players including wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) runs springs at the end of practice at the Browns training facility in Berea, Ohio. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

By now it's been well documented that the Cleveland Browns seemed to show interest in acquiring Sn Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Just this week, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported the full details of what the Browns potential trade package for Aiyuk would have looked like. Included in the deal was top wideout Amari Cooper.

For the first time since the rumors first percolated last month Cooper spoke to the media ahead of the team's Week 1 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Asked about being linked to a potential trade for Aiyuk, Cooper made it clear that he's only focused on one thing.

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"At the end of the day it's neither here nor there," Cooper said of the rumors. "I'm just focused on playing my best football Week 1."

When the rumors of Cooper being shopped by Cleveland emerged in August, the five-time Pro Bowl appeared to stir the pot a it with a cryptic Instagram post. The message, via his story, simply read: "Lol I wouldn't mind at all."

That triggered plenty of speculation over whether or not Cooper was suggesting he'd be happy to be shipped out of Cleveland. Naturally, Cooper downplayed the mysterious message.

"The media is all about sensationalism, so I'll let y'all have fun with whatever y'all thought that might of meant," he asserted. He provided no further context as to what else he could have been referring to at the time.

Cooper is certainly no stranger to trade rumors. Cleveland is the third team he's played for during his nine-year career. He's been traded twice during that span – first from the Raiders to the Cowboys and then from the Cowboys to the Browns. By now he understands how the NFL works. And he understands what he has to do to prove his worth wherever he ends up playing in 2025.

Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) runs the ball along the sideline for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

"I don't think it's something to be taken personal," he explained. "At the end of the day, you might be traded away from one team. It's all about how you perceive things. Life is about perception because in regards to trades, yeah, you're trading away from one team, but you're being accepted into another team. So I just kind of look at it as that's how the business was arranged."

For now, the business side of football leaves Cooper entering the final year of his current contract with the Browns. After skipping mandatory minicamp back in June and sending a message to the team the two sides came to terms on a re-worked deal. The adjustment fully guaranteed his $20 million base salary for the upcoming season, while tacking on $5 million in incentives. It was enough to satisfy Cooper for 2024, but leaves his future beyond this season very much a mystery.

"It's not about feeling wanted just from my perspective," said Cooper. "Because I do understand, you can be wanted, but if you don't play well, then you're not going to any longer be wanted. So at the end of the day, you just got to keep the main thing, the main thing and the main thing is being available for the team. And playing up to the standard."