Amari Cooper addresses Browns possibly signing DeAndre Hopkins

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper understands why quarterback Deshaun Watson wants to toss passes to former teammate DeAndre Hopkins during meaningful games this fall. 

"DeAndre has been a very great player in this league," Cooper told reporters on Tuesday, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Obviously, they have a lot of great chemistry. If I was him, I’d want the same thing." 

Watson and Hopkins made for a dynamic one-two punch with the Houston Texans from 2017 through the 2019 season. Hopkins earned First-Team All-Pro nods across each of those campaigns, and Watson made Pro Bowl squads for 2018 and 2019 before Houston traded his favorite target to the Arizona Cardinals. 

Watson admitted last week he'd "love" to again have Hopkins as a weapon after Arizona released the veteran who turned 31 years old on Tuesday. That was before the Browns cleared additional salary-cap space, possibly to make room for Hopkins.

"I mean, the more the merrier—the more guys who can make plays, the more plays that are going to be made," Cooper said about having to share targets with new acquisitions such as Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin regardless of if Cleveland pursues Hopkins. "It’s just that simple. So, I think that’s the philosophy behind it." 

According to ESPN stats, Cooper led all Cleveland players this past season with 78 receptions, 132 targets, 1,160 receiving yards and nine touchdown grabs. The 28-year-old acknowledged Tuesday that "everybody’s got to get their touches" but seemed OK with having his production possibly dip "as long as it’s helping us win." 

Tim Graham of The Athletic reported last week that Hopkins "wants a deal similar" to the one-year, $15M contract that includes up to $3M in incentives Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Baltimore Ravens in April. It's unclear if Cleveland is willing to meet that asking price ahead of training camp, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote on Monday Hopkins currently "wants more than the market will justify."