Jerry Jones said Dallas Cowboys decided Amari Cooper’s money could be better spent
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t necessarily blame Amari Cooper for not living up to the five-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2019.
But Jones acknowledged that the team decided to move on from Cooper and his $20 million annually salary via a trade with the Cleveland Browns because they felt the money could be better spent elsewhere in an effort to improve the team.
“To be fair, we let Cooper go down the road — to be fair,” Jones said. “That was our decision. That wasn’t made to depreciate the team. At the end of the day, it is a financial allocation toward the talent, and you’ve got to consider availability, and that sometimes departs from the best route runner.”
We had to look hard at the 10 or 11 players who are getting two-thirds of the money. We have to make sure every one those players are pulling as much weight as you can because of the economic emphasis. That is a big part of what’s on the field. How much were they there, how many snaps they get, how much production did you get. That is always going to be under scrutiny. It should be.”
Cooper was the Cowboys’ highest paid receiver. But after back-to-back 1,100-plus yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, he recorded 865 receiving yards on 68 catches with eight touchdowns in 2021.
He was third on the team receptions and second in targets.
Cooper also missed two games (both losses) in 2021 due to COVID-19. He was one of just two unvaccinated players on the team and was fined by the NFL for violating the league’s COVID protocols.
The Cowboys traded Cooper and a sixth-round pick to the Browns for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.
“We made every effort to do as well as we could do with the trade,” Jones said.
While Cooper was a disappointment in Dallas, the Browns are excited to add him to the roster.
“I think the first thing you notice when you meet Amari is just physically big he is and how imposition the can be. You see that in his play. He’s physical a lot with the ball in his hands,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “He’s been a productive player in his career. He’s made a lot of plays. He’s someone we’re going to be counting on. Really excited to get to work with him.”
Stefanski wouldn’t call Cooper the Browns’ No. 1 receiver but they expect him to be an important part of a new-look offense where Deshaun Watson will take over as quarterback.
“He’s definitely someone that you can count on in those big moments — third down, red zone, when you need somebody to go make a play,” Stefanski said.
