Getty Cowboys WR Amari Cooper
Dallas Cowboys star Amari Cooper wants opposing defenses to know he believes he is the best receiver in the NFL. The Cowboys wideout also offered an important caveat noting that his play on the field has not necessarily matched up with this belief.
“I think I’m the best receiver in the league, but it’s a difference between thinking you’re the best and actually going out there and proving it,” Cooper told reporters heading into Week 1. “Do I think I’m the best? Yes. Have I proven it? I wouldn’t say I have. There are other guys who have actually put up some great numbers. They’ve taken advantage of their opportunities and stuff like that.
“So, I’m just still trying to take advantage of my opportunities, and still trying to put up those numbers to lead the league in yards, touchdowns all across the board, really. And only after I’ve done that will I say that I am the best, and that I’ve proven myself to be the best. I don’t think I’ve proved it yet, though. But do I think I am? Yeah.”
Cooper Has Topped 1,000 Receiving Yards for 3 Straight Seasons With the Cowboys
Cooper is shooting for his fourth straight season surpassing the 1,000 yards receiving mark with the Cowboys. Given the team’s added depth at receiver, targets are a little harder to come by for Cooper than when the receiver first arrived in Dallas via trade in 2018. The receiver posted 92 receptions for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns last season. Cooper earned a 75.9 grade from Pro Football Focus last season, down from the 84.2 score the receiver earned in 2019.
Cooper was among the league leaders with 128 targets (11th), 92 receptions (9th) and 1,114 receiving yards (12th) last season. CeeDee Lamb is battling Cooper to be the team’s top wideout. Lamb notched 74 receptions for 935 yards and five touchdowns in his rookie season.
The Cowboys May Have to Choose Between Keeping Cooper or Gallup
The Cowboys may have to choose between Cooper and Michael Gallup as soon as this offseason. Gallup will hit free agency at the end of the season, while Cooper is under contract through 2024 as part of his five-year, $100 million deal. Dallas can get out of Cooper’s contract in the offseason but the decision would lead to a $6 million dead cap hit, per Spotrac. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Cowboys are concerned that they will be forced to choose between the two receivers.
“The money crunch between Cooper and Gallup is real, and a calculation Dallas will continue to consider internally,” Fowler detailed on August 13th. “Gallup is a 2022 free agent, and Cooper is owed $20 million, with a $22 million cap hit and $6 million in dead money. They’d love to keep both, but that might not be possible.”
The Cowboys opted not to sign Gallup to an extension this past offseason but will have an opportunity to bring back the receiver in free agency. Gallup noted that he is trying to focus on having success on the field, but admitted it is impossible not to have his uncertain future in the back of his mind.
“You’re not going to get that contract if you don’t do what you’re supposed to on the field first,” Gallup explained in June, per USA Today. “I think, one thing to think about, you can’t talk anything into the future. You’ve just got to do what you’re supposed to do right now. So for me, it’s just going out there helping this club win ball games, have fun doing it. Obviously, I’d love to stay here, love to be in Dallas, love the community, love this city, love the fans, so it’s up in the air, but I want to be right here. So we’ll see.”