Browns GM hints team will extend Amari Cooper following raise

Last week, the Browns gave five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper a $5 million raise while also guaranteeing him the $20 million currently left on his contract.

It was a well-deserved increase for Cooper, who has amassed 150 catches for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns in the past two years.

However, the situation is only resolved in the short term. Cooper is still entering the final year of his deal and will be a free agent after the season if the two sides don't agree to an extension.

General manager Andrew Berry seems confident that won't be the case.

"I think everybody here understands what Amari means to this organization," Berry said , via 92.3 The Fan. "He's been a big part of our success. We were glad we were able to resolve the situation. Nothing that we've done would preclude us from extending him."

Cleveland's main goal was to get Cooper back on the practice field after he sat out mandatory minicamp while reiterating his desire to get paid .

Now with the 2024 season taken care of, the focus can shift to 2025 and beyond. Those talks could happen anytime between now and the start of free agency, but the Browns know it will cost them.

The wide receiver market has been booming as of late with several playmakers receiving big paydays this offseason. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson even became the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league with a four-year extension worth $140 million.

Cooper wouldn't demand that type of money, but he knows his value. No player outside of Cooper eclipsed 650 receiving yards for Cleveland last season.

The team is hopeful that will change this year with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, whom it traded for in March, but Cooper has been a much more consistent player.

Only time will tell if this season will be Cooper's last with the Browns, but if it were up to him, he'd finish his career in Cleveland.

"I don't really like change," Cooper told reporters . "I'm very adaptable, but at the same time, I don't necessarily like the change. So yeah, I want to be here."