REPORT: Dallas Cowboys poised to make surprising decision on Amari Cooper

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a season where Jerry Jones himself admitted it was one of the most talented rosters he’s assembled in a long time and reiterated the difficulty of keeping so much talent intact in today’s NFL.

Now, reports have emerged that allude to a potential split between the organization and a wide receiver the organization felt strongly enough to give him a five-year extension worth $100 million almost exactly two years ago in March 2020.

Amari Cooper may be headed out of Dallas soon, very soon.

In a stunning development that has surfaced over the last week, reputable NFL Insiders are now revealing the former Alabama Crimson Tide star could be headed out of Dallas before the start of the 2022 season.

Ian Rappaport suggested on NFL Now that Cooper is likely to be asked to take a pay cut or be released outright. Rapoport believed that bringing Cooper back at his current salary is not something the Cowboys are considering, which makes it sound like a divorce is imminent.

Did Stephen Jones foreshadow a Cooper split?

Monday may have been foreshadowing the fact that Dallas has reached a breaking point — and with so many critical pieces eating up cap space and plenty of talent on both sides of the ball — it feels like Cooper makes the most sense to move on from.

Asked bluntly by @jonmachota if Amari Cooper will be on the Cowboys’ roster in 2022, Stephen Jones says it’s too early to address that. Similar comment about DeMarcus Lawrence. Lots of moving parts, & Stephen notes the guys that makes the most money get scrutinized.

— David Helman (@HelmanDC) February 28, 2022

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones made it clear Monday that Cooper’s future in Dallas is up for grabs. Cooper is due $20 million in fully guaranteed money on the fifth day of the new league year

Dallas is one of several NFL teams with a deficit in cap space heading into the window. Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence and Zach Martin account for 31% of the team’s cap space and even with restructuring several large contracts, it will be tough to hold on to all three for 2022.

Leaving Dallas Cowboys is right time for Cooper

“Cooper’s production didn’t match his salary in 2021, but he should still call the Cowboys’ bluff and not accept any pay cut. The NFL is a strange place, because cutting Cooper would be doing him a favor,” Greg Rosenthal wrote on NFL.com. “He’d be a top-15 free agent if available and would get more guaranteed money if released, which makes me wonder if he will wind up having a trade market in the coming weeks. It’s happened before!”

Stats are great, but the Dallas Cowboys offense was explosive, innovative and full of talent across the board in 2021. Sure, it’s impossible to deny the emergence of CeeDee Lamb and it’s a safe assumption he’s viewed as the next star wide receiver in the Big D. But he’s also had opportunities solely because every NFL defensive coordinator understands Cooper’s ability and he hasn’t taken a step back from a talent perspective.

Yes, the former Tide star entered 2021 coming off back-to-back seasons where he surpassed 1,000 yards, and finished last year with just under 900 and still matched his career-high in touchdowns with eight.

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, but at this point, the Dallas Cowboys will be seeking a new receiver this offseason.