Dallas Cowboys re-sign Amari Cooper: Grade, analysis, terms and more

The Dallas Cowboys have re-signed Amari Cooper to a monster new contract but did they do well in keeping their No. 1 wide receiver on America’s Team?

The plan for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2020 offseason has been crystal clear for some time now. Lock up Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper as new head coach Mike McCarthy takes over, succeed in the 2020 NFL Draft and then see if a team that under-performed with Jason Garrett at the helm can compete for a Super Bowl. On Monday as the legal tampering period of NFL free agency began, they took care of the first part.

First, the Cowboys placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott. The hope is still that the team can get a long-term deal done with their franchise quarterback but now they have more time to do so. The worry, however, was that tagging Prescott meant that Cooper was going to be able to hit the open market in free agency.

While there were other teams interested, Cooper wanted to stay in Dallas. And as it turns out, he’ll get is wish. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news on Monday night that the Cowboys and the wide receiver had agreed to a five-year contract worth $100 million.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media added that the deal includes $60 million in guaranteed money.

So was this the right move for the Dallas Cowboys? Let’s break down the new Amari Cooper contract and what it means for America’s Team.

Analysis and Grade

Whenever the Cowboys traded a first-round pick to the Raiders for Amari Cooper, the organization was drug through the mud. However, Cooper revolutionized the offense and opened up the world fo Dak Prescott in more ways than anyone could’ve foreseen. So the disdain for the trade subsided — until it seemed like Cooper could leave this offseason.

Prescott getting slapped with the franchise tag allowed Cooper to briefly hit the open market in free agency and that prospect alone was enough to make Cowboys fans nervous and others to begin to mock them. Now the deal is done and the pass-catcher that has grabbed 132 receptions for 1,914 yards and 14 touchdowns in his 25 games in Dallas will be in the fold for the long haul.

Look, it’s big money for the Cowboys to give Cooper but he’s earned it since he arrived in Big D. He’s been everything they hoped they were trading for and more for this offense and will continue to be that as he’ll still only be 26 years old when the 2020 season kicks off.

Frankly, the only thing that the Dallas Cowboys needed to do was re-sign Cooper, a player who wanted to be there, for them to get a top grade. And now that they’ve done that, everything can move forward smoothly as Mike McCarthy takes over.