For some reason, Amari Cooper simply never gets the credit he deserves. Despite being a No. 1 wide receiver throughout his career, he's often referred to as a "WR2." Even with the Cleveland Browns, he brought consistency to a position of need and set two franchise records in 2023.
Not only did Cooper go for 265 yards receiving in his final regular season appearance but he also became the first player in team history to top 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. He did this with a revolving door at quarterback that included the Browns starting two guys in 2023 who had a combined two touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Even with all that happening, Cooper continues to face some unreal disrespect. Often referred to as old, Cooper is just one year older than Nick Chubb — a man everyone is sure will bounce back from a second surgically repaired knee. Yet Cooper is expected to fall off despite having one of the best seasons of his career.
That's at least what Jason Lloyd of The Athletic believes as he cautions Cleveland against extending Cooper, saying he doesn't have "much sand in the hourglass" and that "the cliff is coming."
Amari Cooper isn't an 'old' wide receiver
This notion that Cooper is nearing the end of his career is interesting. Sure, he just turned 30 but this idea that 30 is old for a wide receiver seems to be reserved for just him. The "cliff" wasn't coming for Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Mike Evans, Cooper Kupp, Calvin Ridley, or Stefon Diggs who are either the same age or older than Cooper and all got paid without constant complaints from pundits.
What's worse is Cooper gets compared to Jack Conklin, rather than other wide receivers. There's no comparison between Cooper and Conklin, even with Cooper missing the final two regular season games. Conklin missed 10 games in 2021, three in 2022, and 16 last year. Somehow that gets compared to Cooper rather than players who are — you know — comparable to him.
Cooper was 10th in the NFL in receiving yards last year and is 20th in pay. Most wide receivers in his position would be praised and supported if they sought a new deal. Yet Cooper continues to get disrespected. At this point, it's starting to get unreal.
