Deshaun Watson reacts to Browns Amari Cooper trade

The Cleveland Browns (1-5) waved a white flag this week when they traded No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills along with a 2025 sixth-round pick for a 2025 third-round pick and a seventh-round pick 2026 round.

Cooper and quarterback Deshaun Watson hadn’t been on the same page all year, as Cooper caught just 24 of his 53 targets for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but Watson still had plenty to say about the trade.

Tom Withers of The Associated Press shared a snippet of Watson’s recent press conference, and the QB said he’s sorry to see Cooper traded, but he’s confident in the front office’s plan, and adding that it’s not a bad message and that he understands the business side of the game.

Deshaun Watson sorry to see Amari Cooper go, trusting front office plan. He says it’s not a bad message, he understands “the business.” pic.twitter.com/BHlqPIDRf2

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) October 16, 2024

It was hard to justify keeping Cooper considering how lackluster his performance had been and how much the Browns offense was struggling through six games, which combined with the fact that Cooper has an expiring contract, it made sense to take some picks for the draft. 30-year veteran.

Jerry Jeudy now fills the role of No. 1 receiver and Elijah Moore presumably becomes No. 2, and we’ll see if Watson gets the offense to put up better numbers now that Cooper is in Buffalo.

Nick Chubb is also nearing his return from the devastating knee injury he suffered in Week 2 of last season, so the offense can now shift more toward a run-heavy approach if it so chooses.

The Watson/Cooper pairing wasn’t working, and while Watson seems to regret that the team made the move, it had to be done.

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Kevin Stefanski gets honest about the issues with the Browns offense