As the Dallas Cowboys look to get creative with the salary cap, the team is expected to release some major players this offseason. Dallas 105.3 the Fan’s Bobby Belt believes the writing is on the wall for receiver Amari Cooper and pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence. Responding to a Twitter question about these players’ future in Dallas, Belt noted that it appears “things are headed” towards Cooper and Lawrence being cap casualties this offseason.
“Feels like this is where things are heading,” Belt tweeted on February 4. “Stephen [Jones] sounded like he was laying the foundation for it this week, and a number of people connected to the decisions are anticipating it to come to fruition. Both players are still stars and wouldn’t be unemployed for very long.”
Cooper has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $100 million contract but the Cowboys have a potential out on his deal this offseason. The star receiver is set to have a $22 million cap hit in 2022.
Lawrence has two seasons remaining on his five-year, $105 million contract. The defensive end is slated to have a $19 million salary in 2022, but, like Cooper, the Cowboys have an out in his deal that would allow the team to save significant money by releasing the pass rusher.
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Stephen Jones: ‘If You’re Gonna Pay Somebody a Lot of Money, You Want Them to be the Best’
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones hinted at the team considering Cooper’s future with the team. When asked about Cooper’s contract, Jones admitted that “you want them to be the best at what they do.”
“Well, it’s sometimes not all on the receiver, too,” Jones told reporters at the Senior Bowl on February 2. “It’s scheme, it’s getting the receiver the ball, the touches, the targets that he needs. But if you’re gonna pay somebody a lot of money, you want them to be the best at what they do.
“Whether that’s catching, whether that’s yards, whether that’s receptions, whether that’s touchdowns. Whether that’s throwing touchdown passes, winning football games, if you’re a quarterback. Whether it’s a running back, if you’re getting your touches and you’re scoring touchdowns and you’re running for yards, I mean all those things.
“If you’re a pass rusher, you want to be getting pressure and making plays, all those things relate to how a guy’s paid. And once you pay that player a lot of money, then with that comes high expectations. And they know that, these players know that, they compete at the highest levels.”
Cooper on Future With Cowboys: ‘I Honestly Don’t Know But Hopefully’
The Cowboys also face a difficult decision with free-agent receiver Michael Gallup. It could be more affordable for the Cowboys to re-sign Gallup while releasing Cooper, but this is dependent on how the free agent market plays out. After the Cowboys’ elimination loss to the 49ers, Cooper admitted he did not know if he would be back with the Cowboys next season.
“I don’t make those decisions,” Cooper noted during a January 16 press conference. “I honestly don’t know but hopefully.”
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Cowboys Expected to Cut 2 Former Pro Bowl Starters, Says Insider