Should the Dallas Cowboys move on from Amari Cooper?

With such a strong class at wide receiver, should the Dallas Cowboys allow Amari Cooper to hit the open market and land a rookie replacement?

Heading into the offseason, it appeared the Dallas Cowboys were going to be giving big money to quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver Amari Cooper, and they could also be trying to re-do deals with cornerback Byron Jones and defensive end Robert Quinn.

Fast-forward to just days before free agency begins and not one deal is done. Not only that, but we also know the team has no interest in matching the high-dollar contract Byron Jones is going to earn. We also know they’re all-in on Dak Prescott, reportedly offering him a mega-deal that Dak has turned down to this point.

Outside of their quarterback, all has been quiet. There have been no leaks of any talks with Cooper, Quinn, or even slot receiver Randall Cobb. However, not all has been dead silent on the Amari front.

According to NFL Insider Charles Robinson, there hasn’t been much talk of paying top-tier receivers due to the talent in the 2020 NFL Draft at the position. With star players such as CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Denzel Mims (just to name a few) in the draft, teams might prefer to go this route rather than pay Cooper a contract in the range of $16-18 million.

Flip side for #Cowboys, I’m not sure Amari Cooper is going to have a raging high end market in free agency. It only takes one suitor, but teams are projecting a little soft on paying elite WR money levels with the draft depth at the position. Cooper’s best deal may be in Dallas.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 11, 2020

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The question to follow this up is whether that should be the same approach the Cowboys use in 2020. Should they allow Amari Cooper to test the open market with the plan being to replace him with Michael Gallup (who was fantastic last season), Randall Cobb, and a rookie in the draft?

While it might sound tempting, there are two reasons not to go this route. One is that Dallas is suddenly an over-frugal team. That means if they save the money on Cooper, they won’t be using it to keep Byron Jones or an impact player at another position. If they were willing to do so, then maybe it would be worth the idea. With them not doing that, it just opens one more weakness on the roster that will be upgraded primarily through the draft.

Another reason is that Cooper, who seemingly already knows what the market is, has said he wants to remain with this team for life and that could lead to him taking just a little less for the team that loves to pinch pennies.

"“Listen. I love being a Dallas Cowboy. 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.” — Cooper on 105.3 The Fan’s Chris Arnold and Zach Wolchuck, via John Williams of Inside the Star"

So in short, the Cowboys shouldn’t move on from Cooper. He’s going to command a lot of money but with his agent already poking around the league, he knows what he will earn. And he also knows how much he loves it in Big D.

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As for the Cowboys, they already know that Cooper is a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver who has a great rapport with Dak Prescott and can single-handedly take over a game. That’s not the kind of player you let walk.

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