WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Amari Cooper was exactly where he thought he was always going to be for the Browns' first training camp practice at The Greenbrier. Whether or not anyone else thought the star wide receiver would be there because of his contract dispute isn't of his concern.
"To be honest, holding out was never in the cards," Cooper said after Thursday's initial practice. "I don't have any experience doing it. I am a routine kind of guy, and I'm the type of guy I need those reps, you know what I mean? So I always knew I was going to be here at training camp for sure."
Cooper and the Browns came to an agreement on Tuesday to rework the final year of his current contract. The agreement guarantees the full $20 million base salary — while providing half of it up front as a signing bonus — along with providing a potential $5 million raise through incentives.
The agreement came out a little before 3 p.m. Tuesday, the day veterans had to report to the Browns' headquarters for training camp. What the agreement didn't provide was any security beyond this year.
"Yeah, I mean I'm content for sure," Cooper said. "Obviously I wanted more guarantees in the contract, just because I feel like I've earned it. But you can't always get what you wish for all the time, but it's definitely noted. If I have to go earn it, that's what I'll do."
Cooper originally signed the deal in March, 2020, while he was with the Dallas Cowboys . The five-year deal, which was worth $100 million, only guaranteed $40 million at signing, which included a $10 million signing bonus and the first two years of the deal.
The biggest issue, according to Cooper, had nothing to do with 2025 or beyond. It had everything to do with the present.
"Honestly, it wasn't really about money," Cooper said. "That's why I think people would have a misconception about that. It was more so in the language of my contract when I signed a five-year deal with the Cowboys. Only two years is guaranteed. This is the last year of that deal, but it isn't guaranteed until the week of the first game."
Cooper didn't show up for the Browns' voluntary offseason program in April or May. He then earned more than $101,000 in fines for not showing up to mandatory minicamp in June.
The 30-year-old said he had never missed OTAs or minicamp over the first nine years of his NFL career until this season. However, he said the decision to miss this year wasn't because he wanted to miss that time, but to make sure he didn't miss time when it mattered the most.
"I was really trying to mitigate the time in which I'd have to be out here practicing and risking injury," Cooper said. "You know what I mean? So it was more so about the guarantees because you never want to get injured without any guarantees and in the language of the contract I could get cut. So it was more so about that."
Cooper was acquired from the Cowboys, along with a 2022 sixth-round draft pick, in March, 2022, in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2022 draft. He's been one of the Browns' most consistent players over the last two seasons, along with becoming the first wide receiver in franchise history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
His 2,410 receiving yards combined over the last two years ranks eighth in the league in the span. He has 150 catches with the Browns, including 14 touchdowns.
"He's been pretty good," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "He's, you know, a very productive player. (General manager) Andrew (Berry's) talked about this before as well, but Amari really fits in with who we are. He works very, very hard, doesn't say much. Kind of keeps a focus on the football field, practices hard, doesn't miss games. I know that was rare for him to miss games last season, but he's been ultra productive."
Of the top 20 average annual salaries for wide receivers, Cooper's current deal puts him in a tie for 20th with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ' Chris Godwin . There are seven wide receivers ahead of him who are at least 30.
Cooper wouldn't speculate on what may or may not happen with regards to a potential extension with the Browns. All he would say about that when asked was, "I mean, I don't have a (crystal) ball in front of me, so I don't know what the future holds."
However, Cooper acknowledged he wouldn't mind sticking around if that's what the Browns wanted.
"Oh yeah, for sure," Cooper said. "I mean, it's been nothing but success here in terms of what I've been able to do on the field. I look to get better each and every year while I'm here. I'm really the type of guy that takes heed to old sayings. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So I'm not really trying to go somewhere else. You never know. The grass isn't always greener on the other side, so I would rather stay where I'm thriving."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Amari Cooper 'always knew' he would be at Browns training camp
