A week of blockbuster trades in the NFL continued on Saturday.
The Cleveland Browns have agreed to acquire Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper in exchange for a 2022 fifth-round draft pick and a swap of 2022 sixth-rounders, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday. The trade cannot be finalized until the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on Wed., March 16.
The Browns might not be done in the receiver market. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported later Saturday that the team has granted veteran Jarvis Landry permission to seek a trade -- though Landry and his camp are open to remaining in Cleveland. Garafolo added that if Landry return it likely would involve a paycut as Landry is set to earn $14.3 million this season.
Signs that Cooper's time with Dallas -- who traded for the receiver in its own mega-deal back in 2018 -- became evident in the aftermath of the Cowboys' disappointing playoff exit.
Owner Jerry Jones expressed frustration in Cooper's 2021 season during a January radio appearance, and he declined to discuss the receiver's contract, which carried a $20 million base salary into the 2022 campaign. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones further clouded the picture when he told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine that it was "too early" to address Cooper's future.
That future crystalized shortly thereafter when Rapoport reported last week that the Cowboys intended to release the wide receiver if they were unable to find a trading partner. Dallas, however, had no shortage of teams inquiring about Cooper. Rapoport reported Saturday the Cowboys spent the week fielding trade calls, but he noted that Cooper's 2022 salary (which becomes fully guaranteed later this month) was a sticking point in negotiations.
The Browns had the salary-cap space to absorb Cooper's contract, and now head coach Kevin Stefanski has the No. 1 receiver his offense lacked following Odell Beckham Jr.'s tumultuous exit last year, while Dallas frees up $16 million in cap space heading into free agency.
Cooper is coming off a down season after catching just 68 passes for 865 yards and eight TDs, but he instantly upgrades a Browns receiver group that might be losing Landry and has just Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz to round out the depth chart .
