Amari Cooper is currently holding out as he looks for a contract extension with the Cleveland Browns. The 10th-year veteran is entering his third season in Cleveland and is coming off his seventh 1,000-yard campaign. He crossed that mark in 2022 and 2023 with the Browns, becoming the first player in team history to accomplish the feat in consecutive seasons.
He's earned every penny he's been paid so from from his five-year, $100 million deal originally signed in 2020 with the Dallas Cowboys. Cooper is set to make $20 million this year with a cap hit of $23.776 million. It's also hard to say he doesn't deserve a pay raise considering how much money wideouts are making right now.
While that's true of Cooper, not every player earns the contract they sign. Here we look at three such examples from the Browns 2023 roster.
3. Marquise Goodwin
Looking for more speed at wide receiver, the Browns signed Marquise Goodwin to a one-year deal worth $1.7 million. That's not a lot for a player with his experience. Goodwin entered the 2023 campaign with nine years of experience under his belt. He played in 102 games with 187 receptions for 3,023 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Those numbers aren't elite but he offered game-changing speed and just had 387 yards and four touchdowns the prior year. He was expected to have similar numbers as the potential WR3 but was slowed by blood clots in his lungs and legs.
Goodwin surprisingly returned by Week 1 but didn't catch a pass until Week 3 — which went for one yard. By season's end, he had just 10 receptions for 67 yards and four rushing attempts for 33 yards. He did haul in a 57-yarder in their Week 15 win over the Chicago Bears but that makes the remainder of the season look worse — he managed just 43 total yards all year outside of that grab.
Not everything was bad though when it comes to Goodwin. His arrival did at least give them the confidence to move on from Anthony Schwartz.
2. Juan Thornhill, Safety
In 2021, the Browns signed John Johnson III in free agency to a three-year, $33.75 million deal. At the time, it was called a brilliant move and a steal by general manager Andrew Berry. To be fair, it seemed as though it was.
Johnson filled a void at safety and had been playing at a high level for the Los Angeles Rams. While he put up impressive numbers with the Browns, he had several issues in coverage and took heat for calling out teammates' lack of effort before avoiding contact in a loss to Baltimore the next week.
He was released ahead of the 2023 season and Cleveland replaced him with Juan Thornhill. Fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Kansas City Chiefs, Thornhill agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal. He was also considered a steal and became a fan favorite in a hurry due to his positive approach — and constant social media interaction.
During the season, however, things changed. Thornhill had an up-and-down campaign with PFF dropping him from the 20th-ranked safety in the league to No. 51. He also missed six games due to injuries. That led to fans turning on him, even saying he was struggling due to social media — something that bothered him enough that he had to let fans know via Twitter.
There's no reason to be too concerned at this point but Thornhill needs to play better in 2023. Especially with Ronnie Hickman and D'Anthony Bell making their presence known when they were on the field.
1. Deshaun Watson, Quarterback
Recently, Deshaun Watson said he doesn't worry what his doubters say (he used more colorful language than that) and that much of the criticism he faces has to do with his off-field issues.
It’s true that his actions away from the game will always lead to harsher judgment. Even so, Watson seemed rather quick to shrug off complaints surrounding his performance. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Watson, he hasn't played up to his standards. He also hasn’t come close to living up to his massive $230 million contract.
In 2023, Watson had a cap hit slightly above $19 million with a cash value of $46 million. No matter how you slice it, he made more money than his stat line suggests.
Watson played in six games but one was just five snaps. He comepleted 61.4 percent of his attempts for 1,115 yards with seven touchdowns and four picks. The Browns were at least 4-1 when he played the full game and his only loss was a 26-22 defeat in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that defeat, Watson threw a pick-six on the opening play and also fumbled the ball while being sacked in the fourth quarter. That led to another defensive touchdown.
Looking ahead to 2024, all eyes will continue to be on Watson. This is the most important season of his career. While his contract is guaranteed and the Browns are unlikely to be able to get out of it (without taking a massive cap hit), another rough campaign could be devastating to his future in the NFL.
