Source: Cleveland Browns give Amari Cooper $5M raise, $20M guaranteed

Source: Cleveland Browns give Amari Cooper $5M raise, $20M guaranteed

BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns agreed to a restructuring deal with wide receiver Amari Cooper on Tuesday that includes a $5 million raise, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, averting an ongoing contract dispute as the veterans head into training camp.

Cleveland also guarantees Cooper the $20 million currently remaining in the final year of his contract, the source told Schefter. Cooper originally signed a five-year, $100 million deal in 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 remain an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season.

Cooper did not show up for mandatory training camp in June, and coach Kevin Stefanski said the absence was unexcused. While Stefanski would not confirm the absence was contract-related, he said there was “dialogue” between the team and Cooper’s agent. Cooper has also not been seen at any of the team’s regulatory workouts open to the media.

Cooper’s decision to skip training camp came after several receivers received lucrative contracts during the offseason, including teammate Jerry Jeudy, who the Browns traded in March and then gave him a three-year, $58 million extension.

“Every team goes through periods where you go through these situations,” general manager Andrew Berry said in June during an appearance on NFL Network’s “The Insider.” “But that doesn’t change our affinity for Amari. We’ll deal with the business and commercial aspects as we go along. But he’s a big part of our team. More importantly, he’s a big part of our culture.”

The Browns’ veteran players are scheduled to report for training camp Tuesday and Cooper is at the team’s training facility, a source said. The team is holding its first seven practices at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, starting 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 a career-high 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. He was also selected to his fifth Pro Bowl.

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