CBS Sports: Dallas Cowboys Close In To Sign Browns Sensational WR In A Blockbuster Deal.
With a 1-4 start and two difficult games coming up over the next three weeks, the Cleveland Browns are in danger of being sellers ahead of the NFL’s November 5 trade deadline.
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports made the following prediction on Thursday, October 10: in exchange for draft capital, the organization will eventually deal standout wide receiver Amari Cooper back to the Dallas Cowboys.
The addition of Cooper would provide [Dallas] with the much-needed boost, even though the season has not gone as expected, according to Edwards. “Cooper is already friendly with [quarterback] Dak Prescott and is reasonably priced.”
Browns’ Contract Restructure Prepared Them for the Amari Cooper Trade
Cooper’s $100 million contract was reworked by the Browns for the 2024 season in order to make him marketable and free up cap space in the interim.
Cooper’s base pay was reduced to the $1.21 million league minimum by Cleveland, who turned the wideout’s $18.88 million contract into a signing bonus. This allowed the team to have more than $15 million in cap room this season.
That works out to just $67,222 for 18 game checks. This implies that any team that trades for Cooper will only be responsible for that amount (in terms of cap space and actual cash paid) multiplied by the number of weeks left in the season once that team obtains him.
For instance, Dallas’ cap hit for the rest of the season would be just $672,222 if the Cowboys traded for Cooper after Week 8.
The Browns’ decision to restructure Cooper’s contract was a sign of a few things. First and foremost, it showed that the team needed cap space badly because of the $230 million guaranteed contract that quarterback Deshaun Watson had hanging around his neck heading into the season.
In the final year of Cooper’s contract, it was also reported that Cleveland was ready to cut and run, indicating that the team doesn’t think there is a realistic chance to bring the Pro Bowl wide receiver back in 2025 or later.
Cooper’s talent and low cost make him a treasure for teams ranging from mediocre to good to the highest echelons of the league, as he can aid them at a bargain price. The Browns also increased Cooper’s trade worth in terms of the draft asset(s) they can obtain back.
