Browns Get Warning About Re-Signing WR Amari Cooper

The Cleveland Browns missed wideout Amari Cooper during mandatory minicamp as he holds out awaiting a contract extension.

Cooper is entering the final season of his four-year, $80 million deal he signed while still with the Dallas Cowboys before being traded to Cleveland before the 2022 season.

Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) runs the ball along the sideline for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Rumors are that negotiations are ongoing between Cooper and the Browns, but reports are the two sides differ on the length of the deal. Cooper reportedly wants two years guaranteed, but the Browns are reluctant to give more than one.

With Cooper turning 30 years old on Monday, there are questions about his longevity and his durability long-term. Should the Browns extend him for three-plus years or just offer a short-term deal that might get rejected by Cooper?

The Athletic's Jason Lloyd chimed in on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show on Tuesday and fired a warning at the Browns regarding Cooper's potential extension.

"If I'm Amari, of course, I want a new deal. He's coming off a monster year, he knows there's not much sand left in the hourglass in terms of his career and this is his time to get paid. From the Browns' perspective, I'm not investing big-time money in a guy that I know that the cliff is coming.

"And I think they got, you know, the Jack Conklin contract, I know it's a different position, but it's sort of the same thought that you know he's getting up there in age, you know it's a risk and they sort of got burned by it. And I don't want to make that same mistake again with Amari. So I would not be in a rush to go out and pay Amari."

Whether the Browns extend him for big money and lots of years remains to be seen, but Cooper knows the same thing the team knows - that his days are numbered, career-wise. - The Browns probably won't care that he's the only receiver in Browns history with two straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons - in his only two seasons with the team.