The Dallas Cowboys came into this season with one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL. They played the first few weeks of the year with guys like Deonte Thompson, Tavon Austin and Terrance Williams filling major roles in the offense. It wasn't pretty. Their wideouts struggled to get open, the coaches didn't scheme them into position to succeed, and even when they did shake free, Dak Prescott either wasn't well-protected enough to find them or simply made poor throws.
So a few weeks ago, the Cowboys made a big move, trading their 2019 first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for Amari Cooper. They streamlined their offense so that now their top three receivers (Cooper, Cole Beasley, and rookie Michael Gallup) are out there on the majority of plays, and they occasionally get spelled by Allen Hurns. The offense has improved, and so has Prescott.
| Without Cooper | With Cooper | |
|---|---|---|
| PPG | 20.0 | 23.5 |
| Comp % | 62.1 | 70.0 |
| YPA | 6.8 | 7.8 |
| TD | 8 | 5 |
| INT | 4 | 1 |
| RTG | 87.4 | 102.4 |
Cooper himself, though, did not really break out until the Cowboys' Thanksgiving game against Washington. In his first three games against the Titans, Eagles, and Falcons, Cooper totaled 14 catches for 169 yards and a score. On Thursday, he ripped up Washington with 8 grabs totaling 180 yards and two long touchdowns.
After the game, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed very please with what he's seen from Cooper. "Amari looks like he's making a bid for his cash," Jerry said, per the Dallas Morning News.
Cooper is in the final season of his rookie contract, and is on the books for approximately $13.9 million next season on his fifth-year option. The Cowboys traded a first-round pick for him and have made no secret of their desire to sign him to an extension, with Stephen Jones even saying publicly that they intend to do so. Given the way contract negotiations tend to work for players entering their fifth-year option season, we should expect Cooper's new deal to start at or above that $13.9 million salary he'll draw next season. That will make him one of the highest-paid receivers in football.
For his part, Cooper doesn't seem worried about the money just yet, or even making the Raiders look bad for dealing him away. "I don't want to prove the Raiders wrong, I just want to prove the Cowboys right -- that they traded for me and I'm going to be a good player for them," he said, per the Cowboys' official website.
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