‘I’m not a very emotional person’: Amari Cooper dismisses trade talk, Cowboys revenge game

BEER — Amari Cooper isn’t necessarily a player who tries to draw attention to himself. The Browns’ wide receiver persona, at least publicly, is one of quiet reserve.

Cooper’s name, however, has been in the spotlight for the past few months. There was a contract issue before training camp, then trade rumors linking him to a Brandon Aiyuk deal throughout camp.

All of that could be emotionally draining, even for a 10-year NFL veteran like Cooper.

“No,” Cooper said Thursday. “I’m not a very emotional person, so no.”

That includes when it comes to facing one of his former teams, as will be the case Sunday when the Browns open against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys traded Cooper to Cleveland in 2022 for a fifth-round pick that year, while also trading sixth-round picks.

Since coming to Cleveland, Cooper has been sensational. He is the first Browns wide receiver to post back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, with 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns on 150 catches.

Sunday is the first time Cooper will face the Cowboys since the trade. Don’t expect him to talk about a big revenge game, though.

“Not necessarily,” Cooper said. “It’s been a few years now. I think it probably would have been more emotional if it had been sooner.”

It also may never have happened if the reported trade opportunities that arose in early August had been executed. Specifically, Cooper’s name has been linked by multiple reports to the Browns’ pursuit of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Aiyuk.

Things appeared to come to a head on Aug. 5, when a report from San Francisco said the Browns and 49ers had an agreement in principle that required Aiyuk’s approval of a new contract with Cleveland. Cooper was mentioned as the centerpiece of the deal.

The deal never took place. Aiyuk and the 49ers reached a new four-year deal last Thursday, and Cooper continued to prepare for the final year of his contract with the Browns.

Cooper insisted he hasn’t allowed the rumors to affect him. He’s already been traded twice: once, in 2018, from the Oakland Raiders to the Cowboys; the second, the deal between the Cowboys and the Browns.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had to learn because I don’t think it’s something to take personally,” Cooper said. “At the end of the day, you might get traded away from a team. It’s all about how you perceive things. Life is about perception, because in terms of trades, yes, you trade away from one team, but you’re accepted to another team. So I’m looking at that because that’s how the deal was arranged.

On August 9, at the height of the Aiyuk rumors, Cooper took to Instagram. On a plain black background he wrote the words “lol I wouldn’t mind at all”.

Social media and sports talk radio lit up in search of meaning. Given the circumstances surrounding Cooper, the direct connection between that and the trade rumors seemed obvious.

Cooper was asked if the IG story meant he was upset and wanted out of Cleveland.

“Hey, I mean, the media is all about sensationalism,” Cooper said, “so I’ll let you all have fun with whatever you thought that might have meant.”

Cooper is still in a Browns uniform, as he is expected to be for at least the rest of this season. However, what happens when this season ends has led to some offseason drama involving him and the organization.

This is the final year of the five-year contract the Browns took over from the Cowboys when Cooper originally acquired him in 2022. The wide receiver has ruled out all OTAs and minicamp as he looks for a solution for at least the money he has left. they owed , if not a desire to get an extension.

The two sides settled the short-term issue in time for training camp, as Cooper now has a chance to receive $5 million in incentives while also guaranteeing his initial $20 million base salary. No additional years were added to the transaction.

“I haven’t really been in contact with my agent about any negotiations, so no,” Cooper said. “I understand that at the end of the day you just have to play good football. That’s all that matters.”

Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on the Akron Beacon Journal: Amari Cooper not getting ‘excited’ over trade talks, faces Cowboys