Wide receiver Amari Cooper did not attend the Cleveland Browns’ mandatory minicamp on June 11-13.
The reason was clear but undeclared, with Browns general manager Andrew Berry referring to it as “business considerations.”
But in a TikTok video posted by the sportsbook Betr on Tuesday, Cooper put it plainly.
In an interaction in which a Betr personality called the wide receiver’s speed into question and said he could beat the former Alabama All-American in a race, Cooper said: “You won’t beat me, man. You won’t beat me. I’d hate to pull a hammy or something racing you, though. I’m trying to get paid this year.”
Cooper is entering the final season of a five-year, $100 million contract after recording a career-high 1,250 yards on 72 receptions, with five touchdowns, in 2023. With his seventh 1,000-yard season, Cooper received his fifth Pro Bowl invitation.
When Cooper signed the contract with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, he had the only $100 million deal among the NFL’s wide receivers. This season, the Las Vegas Raiders’ Davante Adams, Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown and Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill will play on contracts with a total value of more than $100 million.
The $20 million annual average of Cooper’s contract is now tied for the 20th highest among the NFL’s wide receivers, and his $20 million pay for 2024 will be tied for the 12th-highest among the NFL’s wide receivers.
Each NFL team’s offseason program is voluntary for its players, except the mandatory minicamp. Cooper could have been fined $101,716 for skipping the three days of practice last week that concluded Cleveland’s offseason work.
The next date to watch is July 23, when the team’s veteran players are scheduled to report for training camp.
“We’re happy to have him as a member of the organization,” Berry said on June 17 about Cooper missing minicamp. “Sometimes all teams will have periods where they go through these types of situations, but it does not change our affinity for Amari. We’ll navigate, call it, the business considerations, the business aspects, as it goes, but he is a big part of our team, and, just as importantly, he’s a big part of our culture.”
Cooper has 667 receptions for 9,486 yards and 60 touchdowns during his NFL career. Only two of the 11 wide receivers who will be paid more than Cooper in 2024 meet those numbers. Only two of the 11 matched Cooper’s numbers in those statistical categories for the 2024 campaign.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
