Amari Cooper ranked sixth among NFL players in 2023 pay per game

Former Miami Northwestern wide receiver Amari Cooper, who caught balls from new Bulls head coach, and recently retired NFL quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater while playing high school football in South Florida, ranked sixth among NFL players in pay per game in 2023.

The rankings, from a new study by CasinoFR, were compiled by taking each player’s 2023 base salary and dividing it by the actual number of games they played during the recently completed 2023 season.

Cooper, in his second season with Cleveland and the ninth of his NFL career, had a base pay of $20,000,000 in 2023. He appeared in 15 games, which equated to $1,333,333 per game.

Tennessee Titans’ quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who made $2,700,000 per game by earning a base salary of $27 million and appearing in 10 games, headed the list. Also ahead of Cooper in the report were the Atlanta Falcons’ Grady Jarrett ($2,062,500 per game), the Indianapolis Colts’ Braden Smith ($1,600,000 per game), the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Cameron Heyward ($1,440,909 per game), and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Cam Robinson ($1,382,716 per game).

Cooper missed much of his junior season at Northwestern with an injury, but still managed to make 16 catches for 175-yards and four touchdowns. His recruiting stock rose rapidly the following summer as he impressed college scouts with standout performances on the 7-on-7 circuit. That led to an offer from Nick Saban of Alabama, which is where he would go on to play his college football.

As a high school senior, Cooper made 16 catches for 722-yards and six touchdowns. He became a FHSAA Class 8A All-State selection and a 2012 Under Armour All-American. In the Under Armour game he returned a punt for a 93-yard touchdown.

He also became of 4-Star prospect and one of the nation’s top wide receiver recruits, eventual choosing the Crimson Tide over finalists Florida State, Miami and Ohio State.

As a freshman, he caught 59 passes for 1,000-yards and 11 touchdowns, including two in Alabama’s 42-14 victory over Notre Dame in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. In three years in Tuscaloosa, he caught 228 passes for 3,463-yards and 31 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2014. He also won the Biletnikoff Award, as the nation’s best receiver, was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and was named an unanimous All-American.

Cooper eventually decided to forego his senior year at Alabama and declared for the 2015 NFL Draft, where he was taken in the first round, with the fourth overall selection, by the Oakland Raiders.

As a rookie he was named to the 2015 Pro Football Writers All-Rookie Team and has been named to five Pro Bowls during his NFL career. During the 2018 season he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys and he remained in Dallas through the 2021 season. Prior to the 2022 season, he was traded to Cleveland.

During his pro career, Cooper has made 667 receptions for 9,486-yards and 60 touchdowns. In five post-season games, he has another 25 catches for 304-yards and two touchdowns.

The following graphic details the 10 highest paid, per game, NFL stars in 2023.