The Denver Broncos have mandatory minicamp starting Tuesday, and the roster has been taking shape through the offseason. For linebacker Jonathon Cooper, though, what's happening off the field has become a much bigger story than anything going on inside the building.
Cooper has quietly built himself into one of Denver's better defenders over the past few years. He came into the league as a seventh-round pick out of Ohio State in 2021 and worked his way into a starting role, never looking back.
Since the start of the 2023 season, he's started every game and put up at least eight sacks in each of the last three years. His 2024 season was his best yet, finishing with a career-high 10.5 sacks and earning a four-year $54 million extension from the Broncos.
Now all of that is being overshadowed by serious legal trouble.
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Jonathon Cooper Remains in Custody Following Latest Arrest
According to the Associated Press in a story appearing on NFL.com, Cooper was arrested Thursday night in Colorado. Jail records show he's currently being held at the Douglas County Jail. Authorities charged the 28-year-old with two counts of domestic violence, one count of harassment involving repeated telephone calls and one count of violating a protection order.
Parker Police took him into custody at 6:17 p.m. local time and he was booked into jail at 10:07 p.m. The arrest came just three days after Cooper entered a not guilty plea in a domestic violence case tied to an alleged incident involving his girlfriend.
New Arrest Comes Days After Previous Court Appearance
Jonathon Cooper had appeared in the 23rd Judicial District Court last Friday and was released that same day on a personal recognizance bond. According to jail records, both Cooper and his girlfriend were arrested by Parker police on Thursday night and booked into Douglas County Jail early Friday morning.
A police affidavit stated the incident started after an argument in which his girlfriend accused him of being unfaithful. It turned physical and resulted in damage to both of their cell phones.
According to ESPN, it was revealed Wednesday that Cooper is facing two additional charges related to last week's arrest. They are a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation and an additional misdemeanor charge of third-degree assault.
