The Cleveland Browns are 1-3 after a disappointing loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, and their schedule isn’t about to get any easier.
The Browns have a Week 5 date with Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, then three more tough games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens.
If Cleveland keeps losing, general manager Andrew Berry might be open to selling a few of his team’s best assets before the NFL‘s Nov. 5 trade deadline — and Amari Cooper would likely be at the top of the list.
Will the Browns Trade Amari Cooper in 2024?
Beyond their 1-3 start, there are multiple reasons to believe the Browns could consider moving Cooper this season.
For one, he’s a pending free agent. While Cooper had extension talks with Cleveland this summer, he’s still in the final year of his contract. The Browns may be willing to trade him now rather than risk settling for a 2026 compensatory pick if Cooper signs elsewhere during the upcoming offseason.
AMARI COOPER 80+ YARD TOUCHDOWN CALLED BACK BECAUSE OF HOLDING ON THE BROWNS OFFENSE pic.twitter.com/p8yL9ItoX9
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli)
Moreover, Cleveland was reportedly willing to include Cooper in a trade for San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk earlier this summer. While that doesn’t necessarily mean Cleveland will aim to move Cooper during the 2024 season, Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski have at least considered the idea.
Any club that acquires the 30-year-old wideout would only owe him a prorated portion of his $1.21 million salary for the remainder of the year. That’s a bargain for a wideout like Cooper, who set a career-high 17.4 yards per catch in 2023 and has topped 1,000 receiving yards in six of his eight pro campaigns.
Potential Landing Spots for Cooper
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are searching for wide receiver help after watching Rashee Rice suffer a knee injury in Week 4. While we’re still awaiting an official diagnosis, Rice is expected to miss time. Kansas City is already without free agent addition Hollywood Brown, who never played a snap for the team before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
Rice entered Week 4 leading the NFL in receptions (23) and yards per route run (3.39) as Patrick Mahomes’ favorite receiver. His 33.3% target share ranks second only to New York Giants rookie wideout Malik Nabers.
Cooper and Rice aren’t similar players, but the Chiefs need someone to complement first-round rookie Xavier Worthy. They’re not expected to pursue an in-division trade for Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
Washington Commanders
Daniels is off to one of the hottest rookie quarterback starts in NFL history, and the entire Commanders offense has surpassed expectations through the first month of the season.
Washington ranks No. 1 in offensive EPA per play — and they’re lapping the rest of the league. They’ve generated 0.27 points per snap, nearly double that of the second-ranked Buffalo Bills. An easy defensive schedule has undoubtedly helped the Commanders’ production, but this has been impressive.
Still, Washington could use another WR to pair with Terry McLaurin and rookie slot option Luke McCaffrey. The Commanders’ former ownership group tried to sign Cooper as a free agent back in 2018. Could the club’s new decision-makers pursue him now?
Detroit Lions
Former first-round pick Jameson Williams appears to have turned the corner in his third NFL campaign. He’s posted at least 75 yards in three of Detroit’s first four games and showed off his speed with a 70-yard catch-and-run TD against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.
Jared Goff has plenty of weapons. Any quarterback would love to play with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, and Sam LaPorta — and we haven’t even mentioned the Lions’ league-best offensive line.
Still, Detroit is undoubtedly in its Super Bowl window. General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have methodically rebuilt the Lions’ roster. If they’re ready for an all-in sort of move, Cooper might be in the mix. He’d represent a substantial improvement over Detroit’s incumbent WR3 pairing of Kalif Raymond and Tim Patrick.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills traded Stefon Diggs and lost Gabe Davis to free agency over the offseason, replacing those franchise stalwarts with a combination of free agents Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins and second-round rookie Keon Coleman.
Thus far, holdover Khalil Shakir has been the only Buffalo receiver to emerge. He leads the Bills in targets, receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns, but he plays almost exclusively in the slot.
While Buffalo’s offense was uber-productive until its Week 4 letdown, Josh Allen could use another weapon on the perimeter. The Bills rank bottom five in cap space, but Cooper’s cheap base salary makes him a realistic target.
New York Jets
The Jets appear more likely to target Adams, which isn’t exactly a surprise given who’s playing quarterback in New York. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, teams around the league believe New York is the most likely suitor for Adams, who’s officially requested a trade out of Las Vegas.
Still, Cooper could make sense as a fallback option if another club offers more for Adams. Jets WR Garrett Wilson spends roughly 30% of his snaps in the slot, while fellow incumbent Mike Williams and Cooper are at about 20%. New York could make it work with 11 personnel.
Dallas Cowboys
Let’s wrap up with three Cooper destinations that might be unlikely for one reason or the other.
Copper spent 3+ productive seasons with the Cowboys from 2018 to 2021 before Dallas traded him to Cleveland for pennies on the dollar in 2022. Cooper and Jerry Jones took a few swipes at each other after the trade, while the latter might be reluctant to reacquire a player he already dealt.
Still, Cooper would look good backing Dallas, where he’d be one of the NFL’s best WR2s behind CeeDee Lamb. Cowboys wideout Brandin Cooks is scheduled to miss at least Week 5 while battling a knee issue.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Berry and the Browns could be open to an in-division trade. Berry’s protégé, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, wasn’t afraid to negotiate with another NFC North club when he acquired TE T.J. Hockenson from the Lions in 2022. There’s no reason Berry shouldn’t be willing to send Cooper within the AFC North if a club inside it gives Cleveland the best offer.
The Steelers desperately tried to land Aiyuk from the Steelers during the offseason and have already been linked to Adams this week. Cooper is a tick below those pass catchers, but he’d represent an improvement over Van Jefferson, Pittsburgh’s current WR2.
Baltimore Ravens
Another in-division trade. Cooper could fit as the Ravens’ high-end WR2 opposite Zay Flowers, helping Lamar Jackson to stretch the field.
Baltimore figures to lean into Derrick Henry and a run-heavy game plan moving forward. However, tight end Mark Andrews’ almost total absence from the Ravens’ passing attack could force the club to pursue another pass catcher like Cooper.
