As the Denver Broncos start training camp, 1 of the biggest questions surrounding the Super Bowl contenders may have been answered on the 1st day as controversial, $60 million edge rusher Jonathon Cooper showed up with his teammates to report for duty following 2 offseason arrests.
“Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper is expected to report with the rest of Denver’s veterans today,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel wrote on X Tuesday morning. “Unclear what his participation level will be — HC Sean Payton talks tomorrow — but Cooper is in the building today. NFL review remains ongoing.”
Cooper was arrested for the 1st time on June 4 on 2 counts of domestic violence and 1 count of criminal mischief over an incident with his girlfriend. He was arrested again 1 week later on 4 additional charges stemming from violating the protection order placed against him that required him to stay away from his girlfriend.
Over the last 2 seasons, Cooper has been 1 of the key pieces to the NFL’s elite pass rush unit and is playing on a 4-year, $60 million contract extension he signed in November 2024.
Jonathon Cooper Has Court Date Looming
Cooper’s last court date on July 24 sets up what could be a lengthy legal battle, and he’s hired famed defense attorney Harvey Steinberg to represent him.
“Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper had a virtual court hearing for a felony assault case on Friday morning,” Broncos Wire’s Jon Heath wrote on July 24. “That hearing resulted in an arraignment date being set for Aug. 31 … Cooper will be asked to plead guilty, not guilty, or no contest on that date. If the case eventually goes to trial, it could be months away from a resolution. The Broncos excused Cooper from mandatory minicamp last month, and if he does not return before his case is resolved, he could miss all of training camp and preseason. Denver’s veterans are set to report for training camp on July 28 with the first practice scheduled for July 31. The Broncos have preseason games scheduled for Aug. 14, 21 and 28.”
Analyst: Jonathon Cooper Should Be Suspended
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes believes the NFL should suspend Denver Broncos edge rusher Jonathon Cooper following 2 offseason arrests — not wait for the cases to be adjudicated.
Losing Cooper for any amount of time would have a massive impact on 1 of the NFL’s best defenses. He was 2nd on the Broncos with 8.0 sacks in 2025 and has 16.5 sacks over the last 2 seasons.
“I feel like it’s kind of flying under the radar a little bit,” Kimes said on her podcast on July 22. “When people are like ‘the Broncos defense is good’ … like the pass rush … their second-best edge rusher is potentially facing a suspension. So I think it’s worth a discussion and I do think this (defense) will be good even if Cooper misses any amount of time. As he should, frankly, if you go look (the arrests) up.”
According to multiple reports, Cooper’s girlfriend was also arrested in the initial incident, and the arrest affidavit stated Cooper attempted to bite his girlfriend’s phone in half during the argument.
After Cooper’s 2nd arrest, the charges against his girlfriend were dropped.
From CBS News Denver: “Cooper still faces the charge and several others, including a felony charge added after investigators looked into the incident further. Cooper is expected to be in court on Wednesday to be advised of the charge of second-degree assault- strangulation, as well as Cooper, 28, third-degree assault- knowingly or recklessly causing injury, a misdemeanor. In addition, Cooper faces two misdemeanor charges following a second incident involving the woman last Thursday, June 11, of violation of a protection order and harassment for repeated telephone calls. That followed Cooper allegedly sending a series of text messages and showing up outside the woman’s apartment in Centennial.”
Broncos Get Unexpected Jonathan Cooper News at Start of Training Camp