Tag: Amari Cooper

Browns: Amari Cooper’s new contract structure for 2024 clears more cap space

Andrew Berry continues to do Andrew Berry things

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry continues to do his thing, working magic with contract restructures. Despite spending more money than anyone in the league and carrying a $63 million cap hit from Deshaun Watson, the team still has around $30 million in cap space.

The Browns will likely carry over a large chunk of that money into next season, but they have some wiggle room this year in case they need it. Amari Cooper’s new contract cleared up more space, clearing a total of $15.032 million in cap space while giving the player more guaranteed money, making it a win-win deal.

Cooper spoke with the media after the first training camp practice on Thursday and said he was happy about the new contract. The holdout was about wanting more of his salary guaranteed, which he now has. Cooper was on the field for the first practice as training camp is officially underway, with all eyes on the start of the 2024 season.

Amari Cooper wants to retire with the Cleveland Browns

The Browns star wants to remain in Cleveland long-term

After holding out of OTAs and minicamp, the Cleveland Browns were able to reach an agreement with star wide receiver Amari Cooper to have him back with the team for the start of training camp. The team gave Cooper more guaranteed money, which he wanted most, but didn’t add any years, so he is still set to be a free agent after the season.

Cooper spoke to the media after the team’s first training camp practice on Thursday, saying that he wants to remain in Cleveland long-term and finish his career with the Browns.

The door is still open for Cooper to be in Cleveland long-term, though I thought the lack of added years was due to their belief in the young players at the position.

However, the team doesn’t get better without Cooper, and if he has another great year without showing signs of slowing down, the team should try to retain him moving forward.

Browns Podcast: Training camp preview and 53-man roster predictions

Who will snag the last roster spots after training camp?

The 2024 NFL season is nearly here as teams report for their respective training camps and begin preparing for September. The Cleveland Browns agreed on a restructured deal with wide receiver Amari Cooper to ensure he will not miss any more time as the team installs a new offense.

But what does his contract structure mean without added years? In the end, it gives young guys a chance to step up while giving the team flexibility to potentially pursue a big fish next off-season or bring Cooper back.

The beautiful thing about the Browns roster going into camp is that there are really no major roster battles. This year’s battles are for depth, and at some positions, it’s trying to find the third stringers with a majority of the top roster spots already claimed.

But there always seems to be a surprise player or two that make the Browns roster. You can hear more thoughts on Cooper’s contract and a few 53-man roster predictions by clicking here for the latest episode.

Browns WR Amari Cooper comes in at No. 70 in NFL’s top 100

The wideout gets his flowers.

As the Cleveland Browns and the other 31 teams head back to training camp, the NFL is unveiling their yearly list of the top 100 players in the game (as voted on by the players). The first Browns player has cracked the list as wide receiver Amari Cooper checks in at No. 70.

Cooper has had the best two seasons of his career with the Browns during his stay. A year ago, he racked up over 1,250 yards and five touchdowns, making clutch plays whenever the Browns needed him to step up.

As a result, Cooper was guaranteed his 2024 salary, and even given a chance to earn an extra $5 million in incentives after restructuring his deal with the Browns. While Cooper is a free agent after the season still, he and the Browns have been a match made for one another and a contract extension is not out of the question beyond 2024.

Some might argue that being named the 70th best player in the NFL might be too low for the Pro Bowl wide receiver.

Amari Cooper’s contract structure shows Browns’ belief in young WRs

The team believes in the young talent they have at WR

As expected, the Cleveland Browns were able to reach an agreement with Amari Cooper to end his holdout as veterans reported for training camp on Tuesday. The interesting aspect of the deal is that it didn’t include any additional years, just a pay raise and guaranteed money for the 2024 season.

Of course, this doesn’t mean they won’t later re-sign him to an extension either during the season or the next off-season. However, I believe the team feels comfortable not locking Cooper down for the future primarily because of the young pass catchers they currently have on their roster.

Andrew Berry has had his eye on Jerry Jeudy for years, and after finally acquiring him, he made sure to get an extension on the books quickly. This shows Berry believes that Jeudy will be a great player for the Browns. The best part is that Cooper is around for 2024, giving Jeudy a chance to prove Berry right or wrong.

In addition to Jeudy, you have three draft picks, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, and David Bell, who are on the roster. Tillman seems poised to make a leap in year two after a rough start to his career. Bell is a solid possession guy, and Thrash has an intriguing athletic profile.

It is clear to me that the Browns know they need Cooper for 2024, but they believe in their scouting and development that the young guys can be long-term answers. But if things don’t work out this year and the young guys don’t take a leap, the team could always go back to the negotiation table with Cooper.

Cowboys contract ways look worse as Gallup retires same day Cooper gets raise

The Cowboys chose the cheaper of the two and the one more people seemed to get along with, but the decision once again rears it’s head. | From @KDDrummondNFL

 

Michael Gallup was a beloved member of the Cowboys’ organization, by most accounts Amari Cooper was not. Tuesday brought yet another reminder of how sometimes those things may not matter as much as a team wants to if their focus is solely placed on winning.

Gallup was revered as a good man, not just a player, and that’s the most important description anyone can strive for in life. Assuredly his Cowboys family is disappointed to hear that he has decided to retire from the NFL before ever playing a game for his new team, the Las Vegas Raiders.

No one is saying Cooper isn’t a good man, however he was not revered in the same manner. Cooper however is now set to play out his final year of the deal Dallas gave him then traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2022, but with a raise and new guarantees ahead of the new season.

Gallup was released this spring after he was unable to return to form following a 2021 knee injury. It was a tough decision at the time for Dallas, as Gallup’s relationship with Dak Prescott and many teammates was a sincere appreciation of the person, even as the player was no longer the contributor the team needed him to be.

Gallup was never able to live up to the promise of his 2019 campaign. The 2018 third-round pick seemed like a rising star in his second season, catching 66 targets for over 1,000 receiving yards as part of a receiving trio that totaled over 3,000 yards alongside Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb.

The club drafted CeeDee Lamb in 2020 after the Oklahoma star miraculously fell to them in the first round, moving Gallup down the pecking order, but still as a vital cog as he secured 59 catches for 843 yards. The following season Gallup was only able to play in nine games and his numbers plummeted, his season starting with a severe calf strain in Week 1 and ending with an ACL injury in Week 17.

Gallup returned in 2022, but was a shell of himself, unable to get much separation from defensive backs. The hope was that a year removed from the injury would see him return to form, but that didn’t occur with the former Colorado State star amassing 842 yards combined over the two years.

Dallas walked away from the five-year, $57.5 million contract they awarded him in Spring 2022 despite the injury. It was another head-scratching reward contract for a front-office favorite, an unwise decision similar to when the team had paid linebacker Jaylon Smith several years prior.

The Cowboys basically chose signing the cheaper Gallup rather than keeping Cooper, who was entering the third year of his extension after he rejuvenated the Dallas passing offense via a 2018 mid-year trade with those same Raiders.

Cooper has turned in back-to-back 1,100 and 1,200 receiving yard seasons with Cleveland despite their horrid quarterback situation through both campaigns.

And while moving on from Cooper allowed Lamb to evolve into one of the NFL’s top-five receivers, it’s an assumption his alpha ascension couldn’t have happened if he and Cooper still shared a locker room.

Perhaps the reasons the Cowboys’ front office soured on Cooper was something that was felt in the locker room as well, which would merit the decision to move on from the player despite missing his on-field play. Still, the financials of it all are a bit cringe worthy, especially coming out of an offseason where Dallas refused to spend on any free agent help or extend their remaining stars.

After Gallup’s release, which left $4.4 million of dead money on this year’s Cowboys cap and $8.7 million on 2025’s cap, he signed with the Raiders and seemed like an easy fit into their WR rotation.

Now he’s walking away from the game and leaving a whole in their depth charts.

Amari Cooper reports to Browns training camp after reworking deal

Cleveland ponied up to secure Cooper’s contract for 2024.

Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper reported to the start of training camp after the team handed him a $5 million raise and guaranteed his original base salary of $20 million on Tuesday, July 23.

SOURCE: The Cleveland Plain Dealer – Mary Kay Cabot

Fantasy football advice: Cooper has been a durable and strong WR2 fantasy asset virtually every season since joining the NFL in 2015. His production was a bit more inconsistent last season as Cleveland rotated through multiple quarterbacks, but managers witnessed the kind of upside he possesses when he burned the Houston Texans for 265 yards and two touchdowns in Week 16 last year. Assuming Deshaun Watson can stay healthy and regain form in 2024, Cooper should finish as a top-15 fantasy receiver.

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Browns, Amari Cooper agree to contract restructure, will still be free agent in 2025

The Browns and Amari Cooper have agreed to a restructured deal. Now what?

A good news, bad news situation for the Cleveland Browns: they have agreed to a new deal with wide receiver Amari Cooper, but he will still be a free agent at the end of the season.

Making Cooper feel more secure this season, a year where he had little guaranteed money, the Browns have restructured his contract to guarantee him $20 million, bumping his ceiling up by $5 million as well. He can earn $25 million this season with the Browns.

However, the two sides did not agree to any further years on his contract. This means that Cooper is still set to hit the open market at the end of the season.

We have seen this happen with Stefon Diggs and the Houston Texans as well. They gave him more guaranteed money in 2024, but cut the remaining years off of his contract, making him a free agent after this season. The only difference is that Cooper did not have any further years on his deal.

Cooper will now be at training camp on time after holding out through mandatory minicamp. This does not mean the Browns and Cooper cannot come to an agreement later down the road, but for now, they meet in the middle on his 2024 guaranteed figure.

Browns Insider: Team is trying to get an extension for Amari Cooper done

The team wants a deal done as soon as possible

Veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper held out of Cleveland Browns OTA practices and mandatory minicamp while looking for a contract extension. Cleveland has been trying to get something done with Cooper though they have not been able to at this point.

Browns Insider Mary Kay Cabot reported that the team still hopes to get something done before training camp starts.

“The Browns hope to reach a contract agreement with Cooper before the start of camp next week so he doesn’t have to miss a beat. The two sides have been in contact, and are trying to strike a deal Cooper feels good about heading into his third season here. He’s set to make $20 million this season in the final year of his contract, and wants to be closer to his elite peers, who are now making anywhere from about $24 million a year to $35 million”

Having Cooper with the team to start training camp is crucial as the team looks to reshape their offense. Deshaun Watson will need all the reps he can get with his top guys to hit the ground running at the start of the 2024 season.

I still believe Cooper is a top-10 player in his position and has earned a pay increase. The team knows how valuable he is to this offense, and I think they will get something done with him soon.

2024 Schedule Swings: Receivers

Which receiver gets a far easier schedule for 2024? Who experiences the worst drop in schedule strength?

The schedule strength for receivers is typically the least accurate compared to running backs and quarterbacks because two to four wideouts and a tight end are regularly used per team, and each varies in how they mix them.

That means comparing the schedule strength between 2023 and 2024 is also harder to apply to individual players. Only the extremes are likely to matter.

The average fantasy points allowed by defenses to receivers last year were applied to each offense’s schedule to determine their true schedule strength of last year and the same values are applied to their 2024 schedule. This includes considering both home and away venues separately for each defense.

The resulting fantasy point advantages are compared between years and the difference is their “swing points.”  The higher the Swing Points, the better their schedule is compared to last year. 

This analysis is very close to that for the quarterbacks, but a few differences stem from relying on running backs as receivers on some teams, as that skews the pass distribution.

See Also: Quarterbacks | Running Backs 

Best schedule swings

Drake London, Kyle Pitts (ATL) – This is all good news for a franchise that was among the worst in passing for the last couple of seasons. Refreshing with Kirk Cousins, a new pass-intensive scheme and now the most improved schedule from 2023 and it all is looking up for the Falcons.

Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen (CAR) – Bryce Young was the first player drafted in 2023, but he had little help in any direction for a franchise that owned a minimal amount of passing weapons, a one-year offensive scheme that flopped and a bad schedule. A new set of coaches, upgrades with Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette, and a vastly upgraded schedule should all make a positive difference and get the Panthers’ passing offense on track.

DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze (CHI) – The Bears already have an embarrassment of riches with receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. They drafted the top quarterback in the 2024 class and get a nice improvement in schedule. The only downside here is trying to feed all those options.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta (DET) – The Lions already had one of the best passing offenses and now enjoy a solid rise in outlook with the No. 3 best schedule for receivers. With the offense already dedicated to piling up the receptions for St. Brown and LaPorta, the schedule only serves to make them even more reliable.

Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku (CLE) – The Browns offense needed a break and 2024 should allow the receivers to meet their potential with Deshaun Watson healthy and well-versed in the offense and the schedule finally well above average.

Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride (ARI) – The rookie Harrison and McBride already look like locks for a high volume of targets and they get a healthy Kyler Murray back. Throw in one of the top schedules after only average in 2023, and the needle is pointing up for the Arizona receivers this year.

About the same schedule strength

The bad news is that the Jaguars, Bengals, Dolphins, and Broncos all repeat their ultra-tough schedule strengths from 2023. Can they remain better than their schedule?

Worst schedule swings

Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG) – The Giants were already challenged with yet another shaky year of Daniel Jones and now the schedule is working against them. It is enough to drop Nabers another tick and hope he can survive a tough rookie campaign.

Quentin Johnson, Joshua Palmer (LAC) – The Chargers already swapped out coaches and dedicate their offense to running the ball more. And they stripped out all veteran talent from the wideouts. And they rely on what appears to be one of the weakest receiver units in the NFL. And now their receivers get to go against the worst schedule. Justin Herbert is an elite quarterback, but everything with the 2023 Chargers screams that a down year is about to happen.

Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce (KC) – This is less worrisome with an upgraded set of receivers and Patrick Mahomes playing in the same pass-happy scheme. If any team can weather a bad schedule swing, it is the Chiefs.

Mike Evans, Chris Godwin (TB) – The Buccaneers take a dive down from their previous No. 5 schedule strength for receivers but their scheme has a huge portion of the targets funnel through Evans and Godwin. They may not equal last year, but shouldn’t fall far thanks to volume alone.

Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp (LAR) – Nacua blew up with a historic rookie season and Kupp is always dangerous weapon when healthy.  This slide doesn’t help but the duo is one of the best in the league. They should still deliver even with the increased competition.