Browns Release First Statement on Seismic Amari Cooper Trade
By Jovan Alford
The Cleveland Browns are in the middle of a four-game losing streak after falling by four points to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6. The Browns are on pace to have one of the worst records in the league and could look to make multiple changes by next month’s trade deadline.
However, Cleveland did not wait until the end of the month. On Tuesday, the Browns shipped out one of their best offensive weapons.
According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Browns traded star wide receiver Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Browns fans weren’t shocked to see the team move on from Cooper. The team is falling quickly out of the race in the AFC and didn’t give him an extension this offseason. The veteran wideout was looking for a new deal as he’s scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the 2024 season.
Instead, the Browns converted $18.79 million of his 2024 salary into a signing bonus and added $5 million of incentives.
After the trade was announced on Tuesday, Browns general Andrew Berry released a statement on Cooper’s time in Cleveland (h/t Kelsey Russo).
#Browns GM Andrew Berry on Cooper: We appreciate Amari's hard work, professionalism and on-field contributions throughout his two plus seasons with us. He created many memorable moments with us and was an integral part of our 2023 playoff team. We wish him the best in Buffalo
— Kelsey Russo (@kelseyyrusso) October 15, 2024
"“We appreciate Amari's hard work, professionalism and on-field contributions throughout his two plus seasons with us. He created many memorable moments with us and was an integral part of our 2023 playoff team. We wish him the best in Buffalo.”"
- Browns GM Andrew Berry
Even though things didn’t work out to start the season with Cooper, the veteran wide receiver still goes down as one of Berry’s best moves as Browns GM. In his first two years with the club, Cooper had 1,000-plus receiving yards in back-to-back seasons.
Last season, Cooper had a monster year with the Browns, posting 72 receptions (128 targets) for 1,250 yards (career-high) and five touchdowns. Without the star receiver, Cleveland will lean on Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and Cedric Tillman to see if they can fill Cooper’s void.
More Browns news and analysis:
feed