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The Cleveland Browns have gotten as much as they ever could have hoped out of Amari Cooper over the last two years, and the time to sell high on the Pro Bowl wide receiver is now.
Cooper just turned 30 years old and is entering the final year of his recently reworked $100 million contract. If the Browns wanted to extend Cooper, at least at whatever price/length of deal he’s asking, it probably would have happened over the summer. That it didn’t is a reasonable indicator that 2024 could be his last campaign in Cleveland.
With that as context, moving Cooper in a trade for a younger and less expensive talent at wideout makes the most sense while he still carries the value of a No. 1 option coming off two years in which he tallied a total of 150 receptions for 2,410 yards and 14 TDs.
The challenge to dealing a player that good resides in finding the appropriate trade partner — one that needs and is motivated to make a move for a top receiver, and has the kind of asset valuable enough to exchange for Cooper’s services.
The Green Bay Packers fit that bill after a run to the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs following last season. They are a Super Bowl contender with a young, talented receiver room that one could argue has four No. 2 pass-catchers taking turns trying to be the guy.
One of those wideouts is Christian Watson, the 34th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, and an explosive playmaker with 14 total TDs in just 23 regular-season games.
Browns Involved Amari Cooper in Trade Talks for Brandon Aiyuk
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GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report on Wednesday, September 4, included Cooper in his top 10 list of players most likely on the trade block as the season approaches.
Part of the reasoning is that Cooper’s name was part of the discussion when the Browns threw their hat in the ring for Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers earlier this summer.
“There are two scenarios in which Cooper could become available. In the first, the Browns fall out of contention early and look to cash in the five-time Pro Bowler before he hits the open market in 2025 free agency,” Knox wrote. “Cooper would be a solid get for a contender lacking a proven No. 1 receiver, like the Green Bay Packers.”
Christian Watson’s Hamstring Issues Cause for Concern
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GettyGreen Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson.
The singular issue with moving Cooper for Watson is the health issues the latter has battled since joining the league.
Watson missed 11 games over his first two seasons, mostly due to hamstring concerns. However, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported in May that Watson may have found the cause of his injury problems, as well as their solution.
“The key for Watson, he discovered, is symmetry,” Demovsky wrote. “Tests showed a muscle imbalance in his legs, which likely contributed to his problems.”
Specially targeted weight training has cut that imbalance significantly in the interim, which theoretically should help Watson stay healthier moving forward.
Watson’s ability to stretch the field wouldn’t just create big-play potential in Cleveland, it would also clear out space underneath to work to players like Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and David Njoku.
Furthermore, Watson has two years remaining on his rookie contract, which is worth just $9.25 million and would provide a cash-strapped Browns squad with elite talent at value during a time when they can desperately use it.
