BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns on Tuesday agreed to a restructured contract with wide receiver Amari Cooper that includes a $5 million raise, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, avoiding an ongoing contract dispute as the players report to training camp.
Cleveland is currently guaranteeing the $20 million remaining in the final year of Cooper’s contract, the source told Schefter. Cooper originally signed a five-year, $100 million contract through 2020 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. The Browns are giving Cooper half of the $20 million guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus. Cooper will still be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season.
Cooper did not attend mandatory minicamp in June, an absence head coach Kevin Stefanski said was unexcused. While Stephanksi wouldn’t confirm the deal, he said there had been a “conversation” between the group and Cooper’s agent. Cooper was not seen at any of the team’s OTA practices open to the media.
Cooper’s decision to skip minicamp comes as several wide receivers received lucrative contracts this offseason. That includes teammate Jerry Judy, who the Browns traded for in March and then gave him a three-year extension worth $58 million.
“Sometimes all teams go through these types of situations,” general manager Andrew Perry said in a June appearance on NFL Network’s “The Insiders.” “But it doesn’t change our relationship with Amari. We’ll navigate and make calls about business concepts and business aspects. But he’s a big part of our team. And more importantly, he’s a big part. Our culture.”
Browns players were scheduled to report to training camp on Tuesday, and Cooper is at the team’s practice facility, a source said. The team will hold its first seven practices at Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia on Thursday.
In March 2022, the Browns traded a 2022 fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick for Cooper. In 2023, Cooper caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. He was also named to his fifth Pro Bowl.
