Report: Amari Cooper's Browns Contract Restructured After Deshaun Watson Trade

The Cleveland Browns restructured Amari Cooper's contract in order to free up more than $15 million in salary-cap space in 2022, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero reported that "most" of Cooper's $20 million base salary will now be a signing bonus, and two void years in his deal will help ease the financial burden on Cleveland even further.

This comes after the Browns agreed to acquire Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the team subsequently handed Watson a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed extension. As with Cooper's new deal, the contract is structured to limit the impact on this year's cap.

Over the Cap's Jason Fitzgerald noted that altering Cooper's payout helps Cleveland finalize the Watson trade, at which point Watson's extension will go into effect.

When it comes to Cooper, the Browns still have to foot the bill eventually. 

Under the original terms of his five-year, $100 million contract, he had a $20 million cap hit in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Per Over the Cap, Cleveland will have to absorb only $4.9 million in 2022 but then watch his hit climb to $23.8 million over the two subsequent seasons. The four-time Pro Bowler will also count for $7.6 in 2025, the first of the two void years.

The Browns haven't won a championship since 1964 and only have two playoff trips to their name since returning to the NFL in 1999.

Their aggressive pursuit of Watson, despite the fact he's still facing 22 civil lawsuits stemming from allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, showed how desperate they are to have a winning team.

For good or bad, this is likely to be a transformative offseason for the franchise. Perhaps Watson is the quarterback who leads Cleveland to the Super Bowl, with Cooper succeeding as the No. 1 wideout where Odell Beckham Jr. failed.

Should these trades fail to work out, Watson's massive extension and the team's kicking of the can down the road financially will have significant repercussions.