Cowboys Say It's 'Too Early' to Commit to Amari Cooper'; 3 Trade Options
FRISCO - Give Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones credit for one thing: He's not sugar-coating the club's cap-based issue with Amari Cooper.
"It's too early for me to address that,'' Jones said on Monday upon arrival at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, when asked whether Cooper will be a Cowboy in 2022. "I don't want to address any of that as far as the details of the contract."
Okaaaaay ...
That's not a "no comment.'' That's a very clear "we don't know.''
Which is telling enough, and not just because it's exactly what CowboysSI.com has been reporting all offseason regarding Cooper's future. Amid flurries of reports erroneously claiming that Amari won't be here ...
"We don't know.''
Jones' position (and Cooper's situation, which we break down below) will naturally feed speculation about how the Pro Bowl receiver and his contract might be moved.
We've got three ways in particular, short of cutting Cooper, worth wrestling with:
1) CALL ATLANTA Can Atlanta and Dallas both "win the trade'' by dealing one star receiver for another?
The Falcons have a problem with wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who along with his mental health challenge is known to be looking for a "fresh start'' - something even Falcons owner Arthur Blank is acknowledging might mean a trade out of Atlanta.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are looking for financial relief as it involves another standout receiver in Cooper, the four-time Pro Bowler.
Wanna trade?
Among all of the speculative media trades floating about, this one - at its core - does solve some issues on both rosters.
Atlanta is in dire need of a No. 1 receiving option for quarterback Matt Ryan, especially as it commits to the idea of making one last run with Ryan as the soon-to-be 37-year-old centerpiece. Ridley, 27, would be just fine as that guy, but ...
Doesn't seem to want to be that guy in Atlanta.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have a proven No. 1 receiver in Cooper, 28, but he is owed $20 million in 2022 - a number that is fully guaranteed if things are unchanged on March 21.
Dallas does have an out in Cooper’s contract, as the Cowboys could cut him before March 21 and save $16 million under the cap - at which time the team's receiver room would be comprised of mostly just CeeDee Lamb.
But there is another way: The Cowboys could make a trade and still save at $16 million ... and then turn around and spent $11 million of it on Ridley's contract.
Is the $5 million in cap savings not enough for Dallas? Would the Cowboys want picks, too? Or, would it be the Falcons who want compensation, for this reason: The Falcons, cap-wise, presently only have about $10 million of space. But between Jake Matthews, Grady Jarrett and (gulp!) Ryan, there are ways to move money if the team wishes to create a more competitive roster in 2022.
And Amari Cooper makes the roster more competitive than an absent Ridley.
There is a more financially-sound way to deal with Ridley, and that is to trade him for a draft pick, a player who will cost a fraction of what Cooper makes.
Same for Dallas; shouldn't the cap-strapped Cowboys, presently $20 million over the cap, swap out Amari not for another player, but rather for a draft pick?
Maybe that's why, if Dallas and Atlanta ever kick this around, it could be the Falcons asking for the draft picks, and suggesting they are the ones doing the Cowboys a favor ... at which a stalemate occurs because that would be Dallas' exact position.
2) CALL BALTIMORE How about the Cowboys exchanging Cooper for Baltimore Ravens four-time All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters?
As a sidebar, it so happens that Cooper and Peters don't like each other. Remember?
Anyway, Bleacher Report is among the many outlets that have tossed out blockbuster ideas involving Cooper. And it's worth digging into here ...
*B/R writes: "The Baltimore Ravens could use a proven No. 1 receiver.''
We're not sure that's true; the Ravens have expressed satisfaction with their group. But maybe.
*B/R says "the deal makes financial sense for both teams.'' And here is an interesting wrinkle here, with B/R suggesting "Dallas could ... work out an extension that would soften (Peters') $10 million cap hit and still have money to put toward retaining (Michael) Gallup or (Ced) Wilson."
Peters is 29 and under contract for one more year. So locking him up long-term is fine. But he's also a $12 mil APY corner. Why does Dallas need to do that when it just in the last two drafts picked three corners? Isn't the plan to have Trevon Diggs on one side and Kelvin Joseph - making $2 million APY on the other?
*B/R writes as if Baltimore wants to replace Peters.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta, however, said recently that he "loves" Peters and expects him to be on the team in 2022.
*B/R sort of skips over the fact that Peters missed all 2021 after sustaining a torn ACL in the preseason, and won't be back on the field until training camp - a risk for anybody trading for him.
*B/R also skips over the fact that these two teams greatly value picks. This proposal calls for the Ravens to part with a third-rounder; we bet they wouldn't do that. It also ignores a core value of the Cowboys': Here's betting that a Dallas trade scenario featuring Amari Cooper would be not for another expensive player, but rather for picks.
3) CALL JACKSONVILLE Pro Football Focus listed a Cooper trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars as one it believes makes sense. PFF writes:
"It’s no secret Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is unhappy with how the 2021 season unfolded, and that frustration certainly extends to No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper ... Cooper’s extension signed with the Cowboys in 2020 was structured in a way that creates a clean exit opportunity this offseason.
"Terms: Jaguars send to Dallas a 2022 second- and a 2022 fifth-round pick.''
Some issues: a) There is no real evidence that the Joneses' dissatisfaction with the way Cooper was used is aimed at Cooper. That's how some national media people have taken it; they might be wrong. b) There is no "clean exit.'' There is relatively "escapability.'' c) To get the 2022 picks, a trade has to happen by March 21 - which can be in play, but obviously erases the post-June 1 idea.
To repeat: The clearest thing we can tell Cowboys Nation is that Dallas has not (contrary to mountains of speculative reports to the contrary) made its final decision here. And Stephen just confirmed that.
The Amari Cooper's situation is being evaluated. It's a big contract, with big expectations. Making it a big decision.
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