3 More Browns Who Need Contract Extensions After Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

Amari Cooper

Browns fans are very familiar with Amari Cooper's contract situation at this point. After being a holdout for most of the offseason, Cooper finally agreed to a restructured deal that guarantees his $20 million salary and gives him a $5 million raise in reachable incentives.

That was enough to end the holdout and get Cooper into training camp but it is not a long-term deal. The 30-year-old wide receiver is still going to be a free agent at the end of the season and after the contract saga of this summer, he is clearly a flight risk.

Plus, the Browns clearly tried to trade him to the San Francisco 49ers in a potential Brandon Aiyuk trade. So, it's hard to see Cooper giving Cleveland a hometown discount. In fact, it's not obvious that he would even sign the extension if the Browns were to offer it.

However, the Browns don't have a good way to replace the five-time Pro Bowler if he were to sign elsewhere next spring. Cooper may be aging but he is coming off back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons with an inconsistent quarterback and less-than-ideal offensive situation. It's hard to see the Browns finding another playmaker who can give them the production Cooper has been giving them consistently.

Therefore, Cooper has the leverage in these negotiations and the Browns need to act accordingly.