What Amari Cooper posted hours after a report that the Browns were prepared to trade him for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk (2024)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Amari Cooper apparently responded to a report on Friday that the Browns were prepared to trade him to the 49ers for receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Hours after the report, by Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, Cooper posted on his Instagram story one line of white type against a black background: lol I wouldn’t mind at all.

Maiocco reported that the Browns and 49ers agreed to the framework of a deal that would’ve sent Cooper, a five-time Pro Bowler, as well as a second-round pick and fifth-round pick to the 49ers in exchange for Aiyuk, a 2023 second-team All-Pro.

The deal would’ve been contingent on Aiyuk accepting terms of the Browns’ contract extension offer, but he declined it instead, with Maiocco reporting that the Browns were not one of Aiyuk’s preferred destinations. He said Aiyuk also didn’t want to play for the Patriots, who offered more money than the Browns, about $32 million a year, according to Diana Russini of The Athletic.

Aiyuk would welcome a trade to the Steelers, but Pittsburgh and San Francisco have yet to agree on the trade compensation. The 49ers are seeking an elite receiver to replace Aiyuk, which is why a trade with the Browns was most appealing to them.

Cleveland.com has reported that the 49ers want Cooper, 30, so they can plug him into their offense as a No. 1 receiver and try to march unabated back toward the Super Bowl, where they lost last year to the Chiefs.

The Browns, who face the Packers on Saturday in the preseason opener, have remained mum on their reported involvement in the Aiyuk sweepstakes, with coach Kevin Stefanski declining to answer a question about it on Tuesday.

“As you know, I don’t really get into reports,” Stefanski said. “Respectfully, and I understand the question, but I’m really just focused on today and the practice.”

He also declined to say if he spoke to Cooper about reports of a possible swap.

“As you can imagine, any conversations I have with our guys I keep to ourselves, if you will,” he said. “We really focus on what’s going on in our building, not necessarily what’s going on outside the building.”

Cooper, who’s already been traded twice in his career, by the Raiders and Cowboys, wasn’t the only receiver involved in this trade report to weigh in on social media Friday. Aiyuk, 26, responded to a report that the 49ers have renewed contract talks with Aiyuk by posting on his Instagram account, “Niners be in the media everyday lol, it’s two options out there pick one and stop dropping reports simple.”

On July 24, veteran reporting day for the Browns, they restructured Cooper’s contract to end their impasse - he held out of mandatory minicamp — and get him into camp. In addition to converting $18.79 million to a restructure bonus and lowering his base salary to $1.21 million, the Browns sweetened the pot with $5 million in incentives for a total of $25 million if he hits the incentives.

Aiyuk, who’s under contract for $14.124 million in 2024, is seeking somewhere around $30 million a year, which is the going rate for the NFL’s top receivers. To this point, the 49ers haven’t been willing to go that high, but their efforts to trade him have so far failed.

The Browns weren’t willing to go as high as the Patriots, but they were prepared to pay him more than the 49ers were, Maiocco reported. New England pulled out of the race on Wednesday when it became apparent that Aiyuk wouldn’t accept their deal. The Browns apparently haven’t been ruled out despite reports of Aiyuk’s hesitation to play here.

But in 2022, Deshaun Watson supposedly ruled the Browns out first among his four suitors before they increased their offer to $230 million and fully guaranteed it, which clinched the deal.

With the 49ers renewing their efforts to sign Aiyuk, the 25th overall pick in 2020, he could remain with the team despite his trade request on July 16. But until he has an extension in place, anything can still happen. In the meantime, he’ll continue his hold-in, while Cooper deals with reports that the Browns were prepared to deal him.

On July 25, Cooper said he’d love to finish his career with the Browns and that he doesn’t like change. He also said he understands it’s a business, and that he didn’t take the contract situation personally.