Amari Cooper may be available soon, so should the Detroit Lions have interest in him?
When the Dallas Cowboys signed wide receiver Amari Cooper to a five-year, $100 million deal in 2020, they structured it in a way that provided an early escape. That escape is coming now, with his $20 million base salary for 2022 becoming full guaranteed on March 20.
There has been a lot of buzz suggesting the Cowboys could make Cooper a cap casualty, with the ability to clear $16 million in cap space by cutting him. He certainly has some trade value as well, but it’s looking more and more like cutting him will be the move for Dallas.
After Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reported it would be an “upset” if the Cowboys retained Cooper for 2022, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported Dallas is likely to release him by the start of the league year.
Cowboys are “likely” to release WR Amari Copper by the start of the new league year, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2022
Cooper is due $20 million in fully guaranteed money on the fifth day of the new league year, March 20.
Jerry and Stephen Jones have been critical of Cooper, who missed games due to COVID-19 last season (as an unvaccinated player). He also complained about his usage at one point. Cooper topped 1,100 yards in his first two full seasons in Dallas, but really fell short of lofty expectations.
Should the Lions have any interest in Amari Cooper?
Cooper was drafted fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2015, and he has five 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. He still won’t turn 28 until June, so he’s still firmly in his prime. His looming departure from Dallas is rooted in their depth at wide receiver, as well as overall cap concerns now and going forward.
While his name and at times his production screams “No. 1 wide receiver”, Cooper has been up and down throughout his career. In 108 career regular season games, he has registered two or fewer catches (with acknowledgement for a few apparent injury exits) 23 times (21.3 percent of the time). So roughly once every five games, he’ll deliver a total dud (Copper’s fantasy football managers know this pain).
Then there’s the issue of cost. Cooper will certainly be looking to recoup a fair chunk of what he would’ve made in Dallas if he’s cut. While the Lions have a path to creating a lot more cap space, making an offer Cooper would consider feels like a step too far.
Cooper will be a fit in a lot places if/when the Cowboys cut him, including Detroit in a certain light as they look for a No. 1 receiver. But in the big picture, everything considered, he should be an easy “pass” for general manager Brad Holmes.