CBS Sports: The Cowboys Link to Possible Reunion with Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl wide receiver.
When the time comes, the Dallas Cowboys are anticipated to spend a comparable amount of money on edge rusher Micah Parsons as they did on wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott during the previous summer. In the meanwhile, owner Jerry Jones recently turned down the Chicago Bears’ desire to interview head coach Mike McCarthy, which is a clear sign that he will return in 2025 on a new contract. This is all to indicate that the Cowboys are prepared to run it back, so it doesn’t seem out of the question to reunite with a previous group member who has had success elsewhere in recent years.
When Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox prepared his list of the top 50 free agents for the next offseason, he must have had the same notion. Knox listed Dallas as one of the top bidders for the services of Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper, formerly of the Cowboys, who came in at number eleven on the list.
Knox wrote, “A return to Dallas could also make some sense,” on Wednesday, January 8. “The Cowboys don’t have a young signal-caller, but they need a legitimate No. 2 receiver opposite CeeDee Lamb.” In March 2020, Cooper agreed to a $100 million, five-year contract with Dallas. After that, he played for two seasons before Jones traded him to the Cleveland Browns. Cooper earned Pro-Bowl honors in 2023 after averaging 1,205 yards and seven touchdowns during two seasons in Cleveland. Prior to the November trade deadline, the Browns traded Cooper to the Buffalo Bills.
Despite missing three games, switching teams, and playing with a devastating Browns offense for the first half of the season, his stats were worse in 2024. On the good side for prospective purchasers, Cooper’s pay demands are probably going to decline in 2025, similar to what happened with his output the previous year.
For a new two-year deal, Spotrac estimates Cooper’s market value to be $14.2 million each year. The Cowboys only have around $15 million in anticipated salary cap room as of Thursday, and they have other needs, particularly at running back and on the offensive line. Nevertheless, Jones is in his 80s, and the organization is heavily investing in the essential members of its current non-contending squad. This team must win, and Dallas will only be able to do that if it continues to invest in attracting top players to surround its current group of stars. Cooper is a fair match at the correct price going into his age-31 season since he is familiar with Prescott and understands the score with the Cowboys.
