The Cleveland Browns trading for Amari Cooper is a desperate idea

The Cleveland Browns should not prioritize trading for Amari Cooper.

Bleacher Report is at it again, with their new article “The Ideal Offseason Trade Scenario for Every NFL Team“. Obviously, they look at all 32 teams and fantasy book some trades. For the Cleveland Browns, they really took a swing and had them trading for disgruntled Dallas Cowboy Star Amari Cooper.

To say this would be far from ideal and dare I say, a bad idea is obvious.

Cooper carries a salary of $22 million a year, and any trade for Cooper would have to come with a salary cut, as he’s anything but a $22 million a year receiver. He’s already heading into his eighth year in the NFL and his production is declining.

He went from 1,1189 yards his first full year in Dallas in 2019, to 865 yards in 2021. He only played one less game in 2021 than his 2019 campaign, and only had 15 fewer targets from 2019 to 2021. His yards per reception went from 15.1 to 12.7

While he’s an upgrade over Jarvis Landry, that’s not the ceiling the Browns should be chasing after. They should target someone who is still putting up great names, not some who did.

Amari Cooper is an “if all else fails” option for the Cleveland Browns

Cooper has some issues, no doubt. He’s not happy with his situation in Dallas, and apparently, that’s due to not getting the ball enough. He’ll get the ball less in Cleveland just due to the lack of passing plays the team runs.

To make a trade to get a guy who has a history of being a malcontent, is ballsy, to say the least. You’re essentially going after another guy just like Odell Beckham Jr. A  diva who still thinks he’s a number one receiver in the NFL.

He’s probably not, and it’s unlikely any trade the Cowboys would take for him would be worth it. Even if it’s just a second-round pick, the Browns would likely inherit $20 million for the 2022 season. There’s little chance the Cowboys move him until June 1, when his contract is only going to count against them by $2 million for the 2022 season, against $6 million if it’s beforehand.

Cooper being released, however, changes things. If he’s willing to come in for around $10 million on a one-year, all-guaranteed deal? That changes things a lot. It’ll give the Browns some leeway with him, and allow him to prove he’s worth more in 2023.

That’s about the only way going after Cooper makes sense, as his $20 million per year deal currently makes him a no-go.