Recently a new buzz was started after an NFL Owners meeting interview with Cleveland Browns General Manager Andrew Berry in Orlando Florida. He did state the value of Cleveland Browns veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper. Cooper was acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 for a 5th round pick and his contract was immediately extended by the Browns. Cooper is now in the final year of his contract and his salary counts for 23.77 million dollars to the 2024 salary cap. Cooper will turn 30 years old in June.

The Cleveland Browns usually take an analytics approach to player and roster decisions. That means once a player at a skill or speed position turns 30 years old. That player has a propensity for a significant drop in production. But that is not always the case for every player. Exceptions like Tom Brady and Ray Lewis are noted. That is because they were excellent students of the game of pro football.  And so is Amari Cooper.

Recently the mentee of Amari Cooper was acquired from the Denver Broncos in a similar fashion as Cooper. WR Jerry Jeudy was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a 5th and a 6th round pick. Soon after the trade Jerry Jeudy was extended keeping him under contract with Browns for the next four years. Now comes the question for Cooper to be extended.

If the Browns and Andrew Berry truly believe that Amari Cooper will remain at the same level of production, then you will see the contract extension and a restructure of this year’ s salary. Cooper is arguably the best route running wide receiver in football. He beats defensive backs with his execution and cerebral approach to the game. Although he does not have the greatest athletic ability of NFL receivers, he doesn’t solely rely on his athleticism to make plays. If Copper can make plays, he will continue to make plays. With a contract extension the Browns will believe that to be true.