Key Browns Player Absent From Mandatory Minicamp

The Cleveland Browns are among the multiple NFL teams to kickoff mandatory minicamp this week as it will be the last time coaches will get an opportunity to work with players until training camp next month.

Cleveland is excited about the 2024 campaign as they hope to have a healthy Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb, who they didn’t have last season. However, the Browns made the playoffs as they received great performances from Amari Cooper, David Njoku, Jerome Ford/Kareem Hunt, and Joe Flacco on the offensive side of the ball.

Speaking of Cooper, he’s coming off a fantastic 2023 season, where he had 72 receptions (128 targets) for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. The veteran wide receiver enters this season in the last year of his five-year, $100 million extension he signed with the Dallas Cowboys.

Based on his performance last season, the star wide receiver is due for a pay raise. However, he’s yet to receive one, leading Cooper to take an interesting first step at minicamp.

Browns News: Amari Cooper is a No Show at Minicamp

On Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Cooper isn’t present at minicamp and is subject to fines.

Browns fans were not pleased about this news as Cooper has been Cleveland’s best receiver over the last two years, posting back-to-back 1,000-plus yard campaigns. The veteran wideout has seen numerous receivers get paid this offseason, including new teammate Jerry Jeudy, who was acquired from the Denver Broncos in March.

Jeudy was signed to a three-year, $52 million contract extension. The 29-year-old Cooper would get more than Jeudy in an extension, but it's the principle that the Browns have yet to offer him a new deal after another good season.

Nonetheless, it will be fascinating to see how this situation plays out with Cooper and if his holdout will extend into training camp.

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