Dallas Cowboys can’t let Amari Cooper out the door
With the head coaching vacancy filled, the Dallas Cowboys have many decisions to make and one should be not letting Amari Cooper leave their grasp.
The Dallas Cowboys future will be formed by the moves made in the 2020 offseason. There is a long list of pending free agents, which leaves the 2020 roster in question. Besides quarterback Dak Prescott, the biggest name on that list is Amari Cooper.
Since arriving in Dallas in the middle of the 2018 season, Cooper has racked up nearly 2,000 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Even with this production, in just a season and a half, people are still wondering if the star wideout should be rewarded a massive contract, particularly given the Cowboys salary cap situation.
Sure, Cooper didn’t always look healthy throughout 2019, he’s been a league leader in drops and he’s repeatedly struggled in road games. While these are all concerns, it’s important to remember that the Cowboys gave the Raiders a first-round pick for him in the 2018 trade.
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Would a team give up on their first-round pick in less than two seasons? No, it just wouldn’t make sense, especially with his numbers. The benefits very clearly outweigh the possible risks.
On top of that, Cooper is only 25 years old. That’s five years younger than the NFL’s highest paid pass-catcher, Julio Jones. Jones got a lucrative extension worth $22 million annually and nearly fully guaranteed for three seasons. While Cooper hasn’t made his contract expectations public, it’s likely that he will want to be paid like a top-five receiver.
With a contract extension for Prescott also in the works, it’s possible that Cooper may be franchise tagged, meaning he would be getting paid at that top-five requirement on a one-year contract. This may be the best solution for the Cowboys, giving them time to put together a suitable extension for both sides.
Paired with rising star Michael Gallup, he and Cooper could be a premier duo in the NFL for years to come. Both of them managed to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards this season. Gallup looks to be improving game by game, concluding the regular season with a three-touchdown performance, but he is not ready to be the No. 1 guy.
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It will undoubtedly be a stressful offseason for the Cowboy’s front office. Although free agency will bring uncertainty for the 2020 roster, Jerry Jones can make smart decisions to secure the team’s future — which should certainly include Amari Cooper. We’ve seen the success that their passing game has built around him and Prescott. Now, they need to be paid accordingly.