The Cleveland Browns apparently came close to trading away Amari Cooper this week, and if that would have happened, it seems the Pro Bowl receiver would have been completely fine with it.
The Browns offered Cooper to the 49ers as part of a massive trade package for Brandon Aiyuk. According to NBC Bay Area, Cleveland was also going to send a two draft picks to San Francisco as part of the deal with one pick coming in the second round and the other pick coming in the third round.
The only reason the trade didn’t happen is because Aiyuk vetoed it because Cleveland wasn’t one of his “preferred destinations,” according to NBC Bay Area. For a deal to happen, Aiyuk was going to have to sign a new contract with his new team, which essentially gives him the power to nix any trade. If Aiyuk isn’t willing to sign a new deal, then it wouldn’t make sense for a team to trade for him and he apparently wasn’t willing to sign with the Browns.
As for Cooper, there had been a report earlier this week that the Browns might consider including him in a trade offer for Aiyuk, and it seems that actually ended up happening. The report about Cooper being offered up came out on Friday night, and less than 90 minutes later, the Browns receiver appeared to respond on social media.
“LOL. I wouldn’t mind at all,” Cooper wrote.
Now, it’s certainly possible that Cooper isn’t talking about the fact that Cleveland offered him in a trade, but due to the timing of his message, it seems almost definite that he’s referring to the fact that he was almost traded to the 49ers, and the crazy part here is that it seems like he would have welcomed the trade with open arms.
One thing that’s not clear is whether Cooper liked the idea of the trade because he would have been sent to a team with a high-powered offense or he liked the idea of the trade because he simply wants out of Cleveland. Cooper probably wasn’t thrilled to learn that the Browns were trying to get rid of him less than one month before the start of the regular season, so this could certainly create some drama in Cleveland. Cooper finished with 1,250 yards receiving for the Browns last year, which led the team, and he did that during a year where he had to deal with a revolving door at quarterback with five different players starting at least one game.
As for Aiyuk, not only did he nix a deal to Cleveland, but he also vetoed a potential trade to the Patriots. As things stand now, there is now a “new optimism” that Aiyuk will get a long-term deal done in San Francisco. At this point, it seems like all the drama with the 49ers star will end in one of two ways; he’ll either stay in San Francisco or get traded to the Steelers.
