Late in the 2021 season, Amari Cooper did a lot of complaining in the news about not receiving targets he should’ve been during game action as he had become accustomed to.
“It’s very frustrating. But that’s not something that I can really control. But I do think there’s a benefit in me getting the ball in those important situations, like red zone and third down, because I know what I’m gonna do, you know what I mean?” Cooper said. “I’m just going to stay ready for when that time comes. Hopefully it’s soon.”
Cooper is signed through the 2024 season. The former No. 4 overall pick started his career with four Pro Bowl selections through his first five seasons, breaking the 1,000-yard mark four times. However, he’s struggled to stay healthy at times and missed some games last season after testing positive for COVID-19.
Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus proposed a hypothetical trade that’d send the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver to the Jacksonville Jaguars for picks No. 33 and 155 in this year’s NFL Draft.
Cooper caught 68 balls last season for 865 yards and eight touchdowns, which was an extreme down year from what he has shown in the past. According to Spotrac, Cooper carries a $22 million cap hit for each of the next three seasons
If the Cowboys think CeeDee Lamb is ready to make a huge turn, then the team just might go with this suggestion.
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Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones seemed to suggest some disappointment in Cooper’s performance.
“Well, it’s sometimes not all on the receiver too. It’s scheme. It’s getting the receiver the ball, the touches, the targets that he needs,” Jones said. “But if you’re gonna pay somebody a lot of money, you want them to be the best at what they do.”
While Cooper wanted more work, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t sound happy with his output.
“I thought that the way we were playing early when we did make something happen, I thought Cooper had a big part of it. And I’m not being trite. But how he fits in, he should take half the field with him when he runs a route,” Jones said. “Not half — half is an exaggeration, of course, but a whole bunch of that defense should have to honor Cooper. And he ought to be able to catch it in the middle of when they’re going with him. Others do. You throw to people that are covered all the time in the NFL. You have to. Most people don’t have the numbers of receivers we’ve had,” Jones said.
The 27-year-old would give the Jaguars their best wide receiver since Allen Robinson.
