Browns’ Amari Cooper Says He Hasn’t Thought About NFL Trade Rumors amid Struggles
Amid ongoing speculation that he’s a candidate to be traded this season, Cleveland Browns veteran receiver Amari Cooper is focused on helping his team overcome its early struggles.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Cooper said Thursday that he hasn’t given thought to the ongoing trade rumors because “he’s only focused on winning.” The Browns have lost three straight games and have a 1-4 record entering Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 30-year-old hasn’t made much of an impact this year, recording 20 catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He was coming off an impressive 2023 campaign in which he posted a career-high 1,250 receiving yards.
Cooper is in the final year of his contract and has been rumored to be a trade candidate since the offseason when ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported that he could have been involved in a deal with the San Francisco 49ers for star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who was holding out of training camp amid a contract dispute that eventually got resolved.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said earlier this week that he was open to the possibility of giving play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey if the team’s issues persist. Cleveland ranks last in the NFL with an average of 239.4 yards of total offense.
If the Browns don’t turn things around quickly, perhaps their best course would be to trade Cooper and other veterans to recoup assets and start building for the future.
