While the surprising report this week about Amari Cooper was that the star wide receiver would “likely” be cut by the Dallas Cowboys, there is growing speculation that it was leaked in order to facilitate a trade offer before then.
With the 2022 NFL Draft coming up, there’s going to be a big market for a star like Cooper and the Cowboys might be able to parlay him into some draft picks or younger players instead of just cutting him outright and losing out on his value. There are certainly a lot of NFL teams that would love to have a receiver like him in their arsenal, if only for a season or two.
As Mike Florio noted on Sunday, Cooper’s $20 million salary for the 2022 season becomes guaranteed on March 20 and the Cowboys have made it clear they have no intention of paying that. So that’s the self-imposed deadline for Dallas to figure out if they can get literally anything for Amari before needing to cut him loose. If anything, they’re likely just hoping someone will want Cooper bad enough that they’ll be willing to part with a draft pick or two for the chance to land him before he hits the open market.
All signs point to that not happening.
https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1500534211345801226
There’s also the outside chance that Cooper accepts a pay cut in order to stay with Dallas, but it remains a possibility that few people would expect to happen.
In the meantime, this speculation certainly has a lot of people talking on social media regarding what happens next with Amari Cooper.
I would love it if Amari Cooper stayed in DAL, but he definitely should not take a pay cut to do it. That wouldn't be wise imo https://t.co/OWX7XoFdow
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 6, 2022
I think the Dallas Cowboys best trade for Amari Cooper is going to centered around Marcus Peters. Baltimore is said to love the top three corners in the draft and I think they’ll look to trade for a WR. Also, the Cowboys could get a good corner and a third possibly.🤷🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/CtIbgAJ97y
— Ronald Harrod Jr. (@ronharrodjr) March 6, 2022
The #Jets must be aggressive this offseason.
And that includes a potential pursuit of WR Amari Cooper, either in free agency or via trade. #TakeFlight (via @JustinTFried) https://t.co/dddP5sBtPw
— The Jet Press (@TheJetPress) March 6, 2022
Louis Riddick explains why Amari Cooper and the Patriots should join forces if the star wideout is released by the Cowboys:https://t.co/LrzBTqBR0L
— NESN (@NESN) March 6, 2022
It will be interesting to see where Cooper eventually ends up and if the Cowboys will come to regret letting him walk.
