Amari Cooper throws Browns under the bus after trade rumors include WR in deal

We could be living in a world where Amari Cooper is about to play for his fourth NFL team very soon. The former first-round pick by the then-Oakland Raiders out of Alabama spent a few years with the Dallas Cowboys before settling in with the Cleveland Browns, or so we thought... With Cooper being tied to one of the many never-ending Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors, he may want another fresh start.

There was a trade rumor circulating late last week that involved Aiyuk and Cooper essentially switching places. While Aiyuk has been most closely tied with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in recent days, Cleveland potentially entering the fray certainly raised some alarm bells. Apparently, the trade on the table did not manifest because Aiyuk did not have any interest in going to play for Cleveland.

On the other side of the coin, Cooper broke his silence on the matter and posted on his Instagram account on Friday night that he "wouldn't mind (being traded) at all." Although it may have been in more of a joking manner, there could be trouble in paradise for the nomadic veteran wide receiver. To be totally honest, he would upgrade at quarterback going from Deshaun Watson to Brock Purdy.

Here is ESPN Cleveland's official X account capturing Cooper's latest IG story post from Friday night.

Surely, everyone involved is going to take everything Cooper says in stride and not at face value...

Amari Cooper adds fuel to trade rumors fire in the Brandon Aiyuk drama

Let's be real. There are few franchises that are definitively better to be traded to from Cleveland right now. Keep in mind this was a playoff team last year, one that has been playoff viable throughout most of Kevin Stefanski's tenure as their head coach. This is the best spot the Browns have been in as an organization in definitely my adult life, possibly throughout the entire time I have been on this planet.

What I am getting at is, yes, the 49ers are one of the few teams that are a definitively better spot to play football this year than Cleveland, but the Browns are closer to being San Francisco than they even realize. Both teams have great defenses, savvy offensive-minded head coaches, well-educated general managers and a pair of owners who are known to meddle, along with starting quarterbacks with flaws.

At the end of the day, Aiyuk's lust for a big payday far exceeds Cooper's tepid trade talks. While the Browns are not exactly in the clear with Cooper, they feel far more likely to retain him long-term than Aiyuk in San Francisco and CeeDee Lamb in Dallas. The only thing wide receivers want these days more than more balls thrown their way is to be paid more than the 10th-best player on an NBA team.

It might be a players' league more than it has ever been, but we are still subjected to a hard salary cap.