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It’s been a busy week for the Dallas Cowboys as they’ve handed out long-term contract extensions to both La’el Collins and Ezekiel Elliott, all while preparing to host the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday. That’s a lot to manage.
Dallas has likely gotten used that this offseason, though (and in general). Elliott is the fourth extension that the front office has handled since last season ended and there are two very big-time ones pending in Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper.
Nobody has any idea when either Dak or Amari will sign. As the season is, in fact, beginning on Sunday, it makes sense that if something was going to happen it would be over the course of the next 48 or so hours, but you just never know in the NFL.
The wide receiver market isn’t exactly the “next guy gets PAID” one that the quarterback position is, but it’s certainly experienced movement lately. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas became the highest-paid receiver in the NFL just a few weeks ago and Atlanta Falcons wideout Julio Jones has a long-term contract awaiting him with his team. Needless to say these have been important with regards to Cooper.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the most important person involved here, Amari Cooper, might not want the Julio Jones deal to be a factor for him. Apparently, he wants to get his deal done so as to avoid any difficulties.
A source close to Amari Cooper said he’s ready to do a deal now so what Julio Jones does has no bearing on his talks with the Cowboys. Cooper has taken a relaxed approach with his contract negotiations.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) September 5, 2019
Cooper is playing on the option year of his rookie contract (the Oakland Raiders picked it up before they traded him last season) and so he’s being compensated well for 2019, but why would he want to not wait and see if Jones gets a lot of money (for lack of a better term)? Wouldn’t that, you know, help Cooper make more money?
The star wide receiver has in fact been extremely relaxed when it’s come to the subject of his contract extension. He obviously didn’t hold out and has adopted a philosophy of just wanting to play football. It’s not impossible to believe that Amari Cooper, given the bits of his personality we’ve gotten to see, might simply have a number in mind that he’s comfortable with and just wants to lock that in.
Amari Cooper has been a dream for the Cowboys ever since they acquired him in the middle of last season. If things truly are as rosy as they’re potentially being interpreted, he continues to be worth the first-round pick that the Cowboys gave up for him and so much more on top of that.