DALLAS — It was big news in the NFL on Friday when reports emerged that the Dallas Cowboys will look to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper or released him if no trade partners are found before March 20.
Cooper is due $20 million in fully guaranteed money on the fifth day of the new league year, March 20. If the Cowboys cut Cooper, they save $16 million against the salary cap, likely allowing them to complete deals with other impending free agents like Michael Gallup and Dalton Schultz.
While Locked On Cowboys host Landon McCool says he would still like the Cowboys to hold onto Cooper, he understands why this is happening.
"I'm still on the side that they should probably keep Cooper, but I also think the way people are reacting to this like it's a forgone conclusion and obvious are completely missing what's happening here," McCool said. "Cooper's number is ridiculously high and Cooper is not producing any where near that number."
Co-host Marcus Mosher said he believes Cooper's 2020 performance showed that he's worth the money the Cowboys were due to pay him.
"I don't think to say he's not producing near that number is fair," Mosher said. "I thought he was incredible in 2020, even playing with Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert and Andy Dalton, I thought he was incredible."
McCool said the Cowboys may be making a mistake, but that they don't really have a good or bad option, but they're trying to hold onto more players rather than fewer by dumping Cooper.
"I think the Cowboys are victim are two things," McCool said. "Victims of some other bad contracts including Ezekiel Elliott's. And two, victims of the fact that they had a lot of really talented players that are all free agents this year and they're trying to find a way to make it work."
Catch Mosher and McCool break down their complete thoughts on the reports that Dallas will drop Cooper before the deadline to pay him below:
If the Cowboys release Cooper, it's likely that over a dozen teams would have interest in him. He's 27 years old, a four-time Pro Bowl receiver, he's top 1,000 yards four times and had 27 touchdowns with Dallas in three and a half seasons.
So which teams make the most sense?
Cleveland Browns
The Browns really need a talented wide receiver to step in opposite Jarvis Landry after the Odell Beckham Jr. departure last season. If Cleveland wants to be competitive, Baker Mayfield is going to need more targets.
The Browns are already reportedly showing interest in Cooper and they've already reportedly shown interest in a number of big name eventual free agent receivers including Chris Godwin. Expect them to make a run at Cooper.
Kansas City Chiefs
Cooper would likely cost too much for the Chiefs who don't have much cap space to work with, but we've seen top teams figure out ways to get this stuff done before. If Amari Cooper wants to chase a championship, Kansas City looks like one of his top options. The Chiefs, while they do have Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, always seem to be searching for more targets for Patrick Mahomes.
New York Jets
The Jets have $50 million in space to work with this offseason and they desperately need to up their offensive weapons. Rookie receiver Elijah Moore showed promising flashes last year as well as Corey Davis. Adding Cooper as the leader in that WR room would significantly improve the Jets' offense.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are looking for that signature target for their No. 1 overall pick in 2021 and they can get for Trevor Lawrence here. Cooper would be the featured option for Jacksonville and they may be able to strike a deal with Dallas before he's released. The Jags have 11 draft picks to work with and Dallas probably wouldn't mind trading Cooper to a non-conference opponent.
Miami Dolphins
Another team that has a ton of cap space to work with is the Miami Dolphins. They just brought in head coach Mike McDaniel from the 49ers and with their commitment to Tua Tagovailoa, why not give him another great weapon? Pairing up Cooper with Jaylen Waddle (who also went to Alabama, like Cooper and Tagovailoa), makes a lot of sense. The Dolphins have a league-high $63 million to spend this offseason. And the cherry on top, Cooper grew up in Miami.
Bonus: Philadelphia Eagles
One of the Eagles' weaknesses was clearly at wide receiver last year. Rookie wideout DeVonta Smith showed his strengths but after he and tight end Dallas Goedert, the receiving corps was weak.
Of course while the Eagles would be good trade partners with their resources, it's unlikely Dallas would make a trade to make them better. If Cooper is cut with no trade made, it's hard to see him choosing Philly, but it's not impossible.