Getty Amari Cooper
Amari Cooper is a man of few words. And when he does open his mouth, he doesn’t mince them.
So, when the Pro Bowl wide receiver made clear his desire to stick with the Dallas Cowboys, he meant it. Cooper again demonstrated his unwavering loyalty Monday night.
According to multiple reports, Cooper turned down “significantly” more money from the NFC East-rival Washington Redskins, who submitted a proposal “in the $22 million-per-year range” that would have “put him right there with Julio (Jones)” as the NFL’s highest-paid receiver.
Instead, Cooper accepted Dallas’ offer: $100 million across five years, with $60 million guaranteed — an average annual value of $20 million, making him the second-richest WR behind Jones.
Cooper, who turns 26 in June, may not get his wish of being a “Dallas Cowboy for life,” as he’ll eventually hit the market once more. But the long-term pact, concluding months-long negotiations, ensures his short-term goal of staying put.
“Listen. I love being a Dallas Cowboy,” Cooper said earlier this month 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.”
Across 25 games with the Cowboys, following his October 2018 arrival, Cooper has recorded 132 receptions for 1,914 yards (14.5 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns. He 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.
He’s single-handily fast-tracked the development of quarterback Dak Prescott, who the Cowboys franchise-tagged Monday, and from whom Cooper expressed it’s “very important” he continues catching passes.
“We’ve built a good relationship so far,” he said, 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.”
Cooper will remain as the lethal bookend to 2019 breakout star Michael Gallup. But Dallas could be on the hunt for WR help after losing slot man Randall Cobb to the Houston Texans. Cobb, an unrestricted free agent, signed a three-year, $27 million deal, essentially replacing All-World pass-catcher DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to the Cardinals on Monday.
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