Wide receiver Amari Cooper agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal to remain with the Dallas Cowboys late Monday night after the Washington Redskins offered him “significantly” more money, reports said.
“Amari Cooper said for months he wanted to remain with Cowboys,” Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken wrote. “Today, that desire was tested with over-the-top money the Redskins offered. Cooper stayed true to word. Back in Dallas.”
Washington landing Cooper could have marked a shifting tide in the NFC East. Instead, he rebuffed the offer to remain with Washington’s hated division rival.
Cowboys WR Amari Cooper turned down “significantly” more money from Redskins to remain in Dallas with hopes to win Super Bowl here, source said tonight. Dallas is where he wanted to be. He’s coming back on a five-year, $100 million contract.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 17, 2020
Amari Cooper said for months he wanted to remain with Cowboys. Today, that desire was tested with over-the-top money the Redskins offered. Cooper stayed true to word. Back in Dallas.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 17, 2020
Here’s a twist: the Washington Redskins pursued Amari Cooper today and tried to pry him away. Dallas prevailed. https://t.co/DNuD48VV0B
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2020
Cooper will earn an annual average value of $20 million on his new deal, making him the second highest-paid receiver in the league behind only Atlanta’s Julio Jones ($22 million per year). So it’s reasonable to believe that an “over-the-top” offer by the Redskins would have made Cooper the highest-paid at his position in the NFL, something ESPN Cowboys reporter Ed Werder later confirmed:
A #Redskins source directly involved in the negotiations told me that Amari Cooper turned down an offer from them that would have “put him right there with Julio (Jones)” as the highest-paid receiver in the NFL to re-sign with the #Cowboys last night. 1/2
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) March 17, 2020
The Redskins were also interested in Cooper in 2018, although that was under the old regime of coach Jay Gruden and team president Bruce Allen. The Oakland Raiders traded him to Dallas before the trade deadline, instead.
Washington received good return-on-investment on 2019 third-round pick Terry McLaurin, the receiver who lead the team with 919 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. But the offense lacks an explosive playmaker, and adding Cooper opposite McLaurin would have given quarterback Dwayne Haskins more to work with in his second NFL season.
The Redskins have $43 million and change to work with in cap space, according to the salary database site Spotrac.
Meanwhile, they can’t be pleased to see that Dallas managed to retain Cooper, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott for 2020. Elliott earned a six-year, $90 million extension in 2019 after his preseason holdout and staring contest with owner Jerry Jones. The Cowboys gave Prescott the exclusive franchise tag Monday.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.