Dallas Cowboys make Amari Cooper the richest receiver ever with $100 million contract
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t get a deal done with receiver Amari Cooper in time to avoid other teams from trying to poach him in free agency.
But they got a deal done and that’s all that matters.
Cooper and the Cowboys came to an agreement late Monday evening on a five-year, $100 million contract that includes $60 million in guarantees, sources confirmed.
The total package surpasses the $96.25 million deal at Michael Thomas got from the New Orleans Saints last year as the most ever given to a receiver in NFL history.
The deal averages $20 million annually, making him the second all-time in yearly compensation behind Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons and his $22 million annual deal.
Most telling is that Cooper reportedly turned down more money from the Washington Redskins that would potentially surpassed Jones’ annual salary.
But enough proved to be enough for Cooper to keep his promise of wanting to finish his career with the Cowboys.
And it has allowed the Cowboys to accomplish one of their two big offseason goals -- signing Cooper and quarterback Dak Prescott to long-term deals.
The Cowboys placed the exclusive franchise tag on Prescott earlier Monday morning after being unable to come to terms with him.
With Cooper not having a deal at that time, it allowed him to enter the legal tampering period and talk to other teams -- setting the stage for the whopping offer from the Redskins.
The Cowboys never wavered and continued to negotiate.
Roughly 12 hours later, Cooper was able to finally cash in.
It was an important signing for the Cowboys who gave up a 2019 first-round pick for Cooper in a trade with the Oakland Raiders midway through the 2018 season.
Cooper has been the No. 1 receiver the Cowboys needed and helped boost Prescott in the 25 starts since trade, recording 132 catches for 1,914 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
Now, the Cowboys can renew their focus on getting Prescott signed after what was a win-one, lose-one evening at the receiver position.
While they retained Cooper, they lost slot receiver Randall Cobb to the Houston Texans on a three-year, $27 million deal, including $18.75 million guaranteed.
The Cowboys wanted to bring back Cobb after strong season initial season in Dallas in 2019 and reunite him with coach Mike McCarthy from his days with the Packers.
But the Texans offer proved to be too rich for Cobb to pass up after playing on a one-year, $5 million last season.
The Cowboys created extra cap room by restructuring the contracts of right tackle La’el Collins and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
They will also now turn their attention to extensions for several of their other free agents, including defensive end Robert Quinn and linebacker Sean Lee, while also pursuing the likes of cornerback Chris Harris on the open market.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 11:11 PM.
