Browns Predicted to Cut Ties With $100 Million Star in Blockbuster Trade
he Cleveland Browns are on the brink of becoming sellers ahead of the NFL’s November 5 trade deadline after a 1-4 start and with a couple of daunting matchups on their schedule over the next few weeks.
In that context, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports predicted on Thursday, October 10, that the team will ultimately trade star wide receiver Amari Cooper back to the Dallas Cowboys in return for draft capital.
“Although the season has not gone as planned, the acquisition of Cooper would give [Dallas] a jolt it desperately needs,” Edwards wrote. “Cooper is relatively inexpensive financially and already has a rapport with [quarterback] Dak Prescott.”
Browns Prepped for Amari Cooper Trade With Contract Restructure
The Browns restructured the final season of Cooper’s $100 million contract in 2024 for the precise purpose of making him a tradable player and clearing cap space in the meantime.
Cleveland converted $18.88 million of the wideout’s salary into a signing bonus, which opened up more than $15 million in cap space this year and brought Cooper’s base salary down to the $1.21 million league minimum.
That translates into 18 game checks of just $67,222, which means any team that trades for Cooper is only on the hook that amount (both in terms of cap space and actual cash paid) multiplied by however many weeks remain in the season once that franchise acquires him.
For example, if the Cowboys dealt for Cooper following Week 8, Dallas would take on a cap hit of just $672,222 for the remainder of the season.
The Browns’ choice to restructure Cooper’s deal was indicative of several things — first and foremost that the team was overextended financially coming into the season and desperately needed cap space, primarily because of the fully-guaranteed $230 million albatross around its neck that is quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract.
However, it also indicated that Cleveland was prepared to cut and run in the last year of Cooper’s deal, which means the team doesn’t believe there is a viable path forward to bringing the Pro Bowl wide receiver back in 2025 and beyond.
The Browns also upped Cooper’s trade value in terms of the draft asset(s) they can get back because he is both talented and inexpensive, which makes him a prize for teams that range from middling to good t0 the upper echelon of the league — as he can help of them at a value price.
Since then, Cooper has tallied 170 receptions for 2,618 receiving yards and 16 TDs for the Browns, leading the team in receiving in both 2022 and 2023, as well as earning Pro Bowl honors last season.
Cooper is off to a slower start in 2024 with just 20 catches for 208 yards, 2 TDs and 5 drops. That said, he is still only 30 years old and has been excellent for much of his time in Cleveland despite a string of poor and/or underperforming quarterbacks.
The Browns probably won’t move on Cooper for another couple of weeks, as they try to salvage their season. If the team is unable to do so, however, Cleveland will probably look for a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick in return for its star wideout.
