Add Amari Cooper to the list of contract-year players who missed mandatory minicamp.
The Browns receiver did not attend Cleveland's meeting on Tuesday and faces a fine.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Cooper's absence was not waived.
"I understand these situations come up," Stefanski said. "I really leave that up to Amari, Amari's agent and GM Andrew Berry (AB) and the conversations that they have. Again, as you guys know, we're focused on the guys that are here. We're going to get some good workouts in and really keep that going."
Asked if Cooper or his agent notified the team that he would miss minicamp on Tuesday, Stefanski said "there have been conversations" between the organization and Cooper.
Cooper is entering the final year of the contract he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, a five-year, $100 million deal that ultimately prompted the Cowboys to trade him to Cleveland for a steal (a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick swap) and save cap space in 2022.
For teams balancing the salary cap, this contract could quickly look attractive. Cooper's current contract pays him an average of $20 million per year, which is in line with the 20th-highest average annual salary at the position in the NFL.
Cooper ranked fifth in the league in receiving yards (1,250) last season, and he did so with five different starting quarterbacks. He turns 30 in six days, and is now at the point in his career where he is most likely to take advantage of his remaining earning power.
With that in mind, a few days of fines are worth it, despite the temporary loss.
It's worth noting that Cooper only started the mandatory minicamp strike after participating in Cleveland's optional training camps (OTAs). Clearly, he's trying to get into a better negotiating position to maximize financially when the opportunity is best.
According to Over The Cap, the Browns currently have $13.7 million in available salary cap space, which they can use to their advantage to adjust the contract or shift more expenses to future years by extending it. We'll see if they can reach a compromise before training camp begins.
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