When free agency began last month, the Washington Redskins made an aggressive offer to lure wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys. The three-time Pro Bowler decided to re-sign with Dallas, but not before reportedly turning down an offer north of $100 million from the Redskins.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since then, new Redskins coach Ron Rivera confirmed his team had offered Cooper a “substantial amount of money” to poach him from their division rival.
“Amari was someone we chased very hard, all the way up to the very end,” Rivera said. “He decided to return to Dallas. We were in it. … That’s a tough one. We would’ve loved to have had him as part of what we’re trying to do.”
Rivera said he respected Cooper’s decision to do what the 25-year-old thought was best for him.
But the Redskins badly wanted him. With Dallas, Cooper ranked eighth in receiving yards last season with 1,189 and had eight touchdowns. Since he was drafted fourth overall in 2015, Cooper has reached at least 1,000 yards in four of his five seasons.
Washington, too, felt Cooper would have provided a veteran presence to go along with its core of young receivers. Terry McLaurin, Kelvin Harmon and Steven Sims all shined as rookies for the Redskins in 2019, particularly McLaurin.
Cooper, though, re-signed with Dallas on a five-year, $100 million deal.
After missing out on Cooper, the Redskins went about free agency filling needs by signing players to a series of one- to two-year deals. The team’s lone exception was the four-year, $40 million contract it gave to cornerback Kendall Fuller.
The Redskins were also thought to be in on free agent tight end Austin Hooper — the new Browns tight end said on a radio station that his decision came down to Cleveland and Washington — but Rivera downplayed the team’s interest.
Hooper became the league’s highest-paid tight end with a four-year, $44 million contract, a price that Rivera considered too steep.
“We really weren’t in it as far as it’s been portrayed by a lot of people,” Rivera said. “But the truth of the matter is he set the market as far as tight ends were concerned, and that’s something we most certainly weren’t prepared to do.
“We wanted to get into it, but again, once that money climbed very high and very quickly for him, good for him, we decided to move on.”
The Redskins signed journeymen Logan Thomas and Richard Rodgers to address the tight end position.
In general, Rivera said the Redskins wanted eager players with something to prove, hence the flurry of short-term deals. Washington signed 12 new players this offseason with no more than two years on the contract.
“I love the fact guys are betting on themselves and are going to come in and prove that they belong and they deserve an extensive contract,” Rivera said. “Again that’s what we’re trying to do is who fits us. And a lot of these guys were up for the challenge.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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