Amari Cooper was acquired as a salary dump, now could see an extension

When the Cleveland Browns acquired WR Amari Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys, Cooper was seen as a salary dump of sorts. At one point, Dallas was reportedly thinking about cutting the talented receiver but the Browns, along with other teams, shared their interest in making a deal for him.

Cleveland acquired Cooper for the cost of a fifth-round pick (and sixth-round pick swap) in the spring of 2022. Since then, the Cowboys have struggled to replace Cooper and he set a Browns record and tied an NFL record in 2023.

With WR Calvin Ridley signing a four-year deal worth almost $97 million, a surprising comparison came when everyone found out that Ridley and Cooper were the same age, went to the same college and never played together there.

Ridley’s deal could be the template for what Cooper is looking for in his next contract. The Browns top pass catcher is set for free agency at the end of this season but GM Andrew Berry could be looking to change that:

“Look, Coop’s a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver,” Berry said. “He’s played really well for us the past two years. He’s a strong presence in the locker room. We love him. So players like that, you want to make sure that you can retain as long as possible and we’ll work through all of that at the appropriate times.”

Berry noted that getting things done early, instead of late, is their philosophy with contract extensions but Cooper turns 30 before this season starts and would have over 8,500 snaps on his legs after a full 2024 season. A lot to take into account while the wide receiver market jumps:

“Probably by Week 1 of the NFL season, the top of that market’s going to be north of $30 million. So as we think of the contract-management space, rather than be reactive to new market dynamics, we try to be proactive. Probably more importantly, when we think about an extension or a signing, we think of where is the market going to be on September 1 as opposed to March 1.”

It is noted that Cooper’s negotiations will take priority after the NFL draft. An extension this year could reduce Cooper’s $23 million cap hit in 2024 and, given the team’s contract structure, stay decently low in 2025 as well.

Why the Browns are confident Deshaun Watson will be ready to start season despite coming off the uncommon shoulder surgery

After Deshaun Watson began throwing last week at UCLA, the Browns are as confident as ever that he’ll be ready to start the season in September.

Under the supervision of Browns Senior VP of President of Health/Development Joe Sheehan, Watson threw the football for the first time since having his fractured right shoulder socket repaired arthroscopically Nov. 21st by world-renowned shoulder specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache of the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.

Watson’s private quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery helped run the session, and tight end David Njoku caught passes and offered moral support. It was a big first step back to the field, and the Browns expect their $230 million to be at the helm for the opener.

“All the medical work that’s been done at this point in time, Deshaun’s recovery so far, it’s been really positive,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said Tuesday at the NFL annual meetings in Orlando. “We’re not anticipating any issues.”

Berry noted that the fact Watson’s surgery involved a broken bone is probably part of the confidence that it will heal fully but “honestly that’s probably past my expertise.”

The hard part with Watson’s injury, a displaced fracture of the glenoid bone, is that it’s rare among NFL quarterbacks, with no recent precedent. But he’s experienced good range of motion, minimal pain and has hit all of his milestones along the way.

“Everything we’ve been told is he’s doing really well,” Browns owner Dee Haslam said at the meetings. “We’re excited about it. He feels really good.”

“(We have) high confidence in the doctors,” Jimmy Haslam said.

All of the progress reports have been stellar, including the eyewitness account of Sheehan last week. Watson also delivered encouraging words to Kevin Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey when they flew out to Los Angeles to have dinner with him on March 7th.

“I think his rehab is going well,” Jimmy said. “Kevin and Ken went out to see him a couple of weeks ago. Joe Sheehan was out last week to week to watch him throw. He’ll be there on April 15th when we start conditioning and meetings. So, we’re excited to see Deshaun and are very optimistic that he’ll be ready to roll. Everybody understands how important quarterback is in the NFL.”

Stefanski, who learned the hard way last season not to predict Watson’s availability given the unstable nature of his strained right rotator cuff, stopped short of guaranteeing he’ll be ready for the season. But he stated with conviction that Watson will throw this spring during the Browns offseason program, which begins April 15th with two weeks of conditioning and concludes with the mandatory minicamp in June.

Fortunately for the Browns, they have three other quarterbacks on the roster who can help carry the load over the next four or five months in Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who’s coming off of a hip injury and might be limited.

Watson also tentatively plans to host another passing camp for offensive teammates this offseason, but will have to work within the parameters of his carefully prescribed protocol if doctors permit it.

The Browns stated from Day 1 that “a full recovery is expected prior to the start of the 2024 season,” but the return to throwing has everyone in the organization even more excited.