Jonathon Cooper went through a rollercoaster of emotions over the weekend.
First, he signed a four-year, $60 million contract extension with the Denver Broncos at the team hotel in Baltimore, just before the Broncos suffered a tough 41-10 loss to the Ravens.
The real emotional hit came on Monday when the Broncos (5-4) traded his longtime teammate Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals.
“Baron’s been my guy, my teammate, for eight years,” Cooper said on Wednesday. “I was really hurt and really sad to see him go. But it’s a good opportunity for him and I know he’ll take full advantage of it.”
Cooper and Browning were both drafted by Denver in 2021. Browning was selected in the third round, while Cooper was taken in the seventh round after an EKG issue just before the draft led to three heart ablation surgeries that May. Because of this, he missed most of the offseason workouts that year.
After filling in as a spot starter for two seasons, Cooper has started every game for the Broncos in the last two years, recording 14 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, 14 tackles for loss, and an interception.
For his career, Cooper has 18 1/2 sacks, 183 tackles, 38 quarterback hits, and 20 tackles for loss. Browning, who has played 13 fewer games than Cooper due to injuries, has 9 1/2 career sacks, 114 tackles, 22 QB hits, and 15 tackles for loss.
Browning missed a month this season due to a left foot injury and didn’t register any sacks in the five games he played. In contrast, Cooper has been a key player on the Broncos’ strong defense, which has 31 sacks, second only to the New York Giants’ 35.
With that in mind, it was an easy decision for general manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton to choose which player would get the extension and which one would be traded.
“I’m excited for him,” Payton said about Cooper. “He’s tough, he’s competitive. I think he’s a really good teammate … he certainly deserved it.”
When it came to trading Browning, Payton added, “It’s never easy to trade someone, and yet I thought just in our visit, George and I and Baron sitting down he totally understood. He was looking forward to getting more snaps and certainly in the (contract) year for him it’s important.”
This means that the Broncos’ game at Kansas City (8-0) on Sunday will be Cooper’s first game without his longtime pass-rush partner since their freshman year at Ohio State in 2016. Cooper redshirted that year, which was before he joined the team in Columbus.
“We all know how talented Baron is, fantastic football player, fantastic dude, man,” Cooper said. “That’s my brother, and you know I wish him all the best. I talked to him before I went and I know he’s going to go there and ball, so I’m just excited to see what he does.”
Cooper likely could have earned more money as a free agent after this season, but he said he was happy with the Broncos’ offer.
“The process went really smooth, and I felt like I didn’t need to take it any further than what it was because I love this program, I love this team, I love the organization,” Cooper said. “And signing it there in the hotel, it just worked out as well as it could.”
But, he added, “I’m still (upset) about the game.”
Cooper is the second defender from Denver to sign an extension this year, following star cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who signed a new deal last summer.
“I’m very proud of Coop,” Surtain said. “When you talk about a guy who came in with the right approach, right work ethic and everything along the lines of becoming a great player, that’s him. Him being a seventh-round pick and going through the roster this and that — for him to be able to secure that contract is huge.”
