Getty Amari Cooper, Dak Prescott
Amari Cooper’s rapport with Dak Prescott can be summed up in a single meme:
But this is no laughing matter. The impending free-agent wide receiver made clear he wants the impending free-agent quarterback to continue throwing him the ball in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. It’s a “very important” arrangement that needs not be disturbed.
“We’ve built a good relationship so far,” Cooper said Thursday on 105.3 The Fan, via Blogging The Boys. “From the time I got here we were able to hit the ground running and just from my experience in being in the NFL I wouldn’t say that that’s a common thing. Sometimes you can line up with a quarterback after getting traded or going to a new team, whether it’s the draft or whatever, and it not go so smooth. And so I wouldn’t try to trade that for anything because I know what can be on the other side of that. I would say it’s very important.”
The numbers are Cooper’s biggest ally in his case to get Prescott paid. The former Raider, traded in October 2018 for a first-round pick, has thrived from the moment he arrived to North Texas, notching 132 receptions for 1,914 yards (14.5 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns across 25 games in silver and blue.
Cooper led the team last season with 1,189 yards and eight scores on 79 grabs, making all 16 starts despite battling multiple lower-leg and foot injuries. The Cowboys finished with the NFL’s top-ranked offense in yards per game and the second-best passing attack, which averaged 296.9 yards per game.
The Prescott-Cooper tandem quickly established itself among the sport’s most lethal, and the latter has subsequently turned Prescott into a better, explosive passer. The two-time Pro Bowler threw for a career-high 4,902 yards (the second-most in the league; one shy of tying the franchise’s single-season record) and 30 touchdowns in 2019.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys are forced to choose between them, at least as it stands now. Barring an eleventh-hour agreement, the club is expected to place the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott while attempting to work out a long-term contract with Cooper, whose annual market value is estimated near $20 million.
It’s up for debate whether Cooper deserves such a massive monetary investment. What’s inarguable is his desire to stick by the organization that rescued him from the Black Hole — in more ways than one.
“Listen. I love being a Dallas Cowboy,” he said on 105.3 The Fan, via Blogging the Boys. “I love everything about it. I was just thinking about that today. I think about it almost every day, really. Just primetime games. It seems like more night games than everybody and that always feels good to a football player. You know everything. The facility, I love it here in Frisco where I stay at now. Just the aura of being a Dallas Cowboy, you can’t beat it.”
“I want to be a Dallas Cowboy for life.”
Cooper hopes his professional marriage aligns with Prescott’s potential nuptials, and they keep hooking up in harmony on the gridiron.
If the Cowboys were smart, they’d oblige.
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