Alabama Football: Cooper traded to Cleveland Browns

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama football’s Amari Cooper is heading to the AFC.

This has been an interesting offseason for Alabama football receivers. Calvin Ridley was suspended for all of next season due to gambling while away from the Atlanta Falcons. Jerry Jeudy found a new elite quarterback in Denver. Now, Amari Cooper is out of Dallas and heading to the Cleveland Browns.

The Cowboys decided to trade the former Alabama football wideout to Cleveland for an exchange of picks. None of the picks were particularly valuable, so this was more of a way to move his salary without harming the Cowboys.

Rumors were swirling that Dallas was going to cut Cooper to save money, so Alabama football fans knew he would be on the move. Instead of getting to choose his home, he will head to Cleveland to play with Baker Mayfield. On the bright side, he will still earn his massive salary instead of having to negotiate a new contract with a new team.

Cooper has elite talent as a wide receiver. He’s helped boost the offense in Dallas, and he earned his massive salary. If the Cowboys were not struggling with cap issues, they would like to keep Cooper. However, they have to make tough decisions this offseason, and Cooper was a casualty.

The Browns need a receiver to play across from Jarvis Landry. If Landry ends up finding a new team, they need a WR1 to replace him. They lost OBJ last season, and that experiment didn’t work for the Browns. They’ve added players in the draft, but having a veteran will help them determine if Baker Mayfield is the quarterback of the future.

The Browns are in a tough division, but Cooper fills a massive need for the team. While many were expecting Cooper to sign with a contender, he will still be a contributor on a team trying to make the NFL Playoffs. We’ll see how he does statistically with Mayfield as his quarterback.