Twitter: How Amari Cooper trade hurt the Raiders - 3 years

[plymkr]

This makes me laugh because I remember seeing the tweet that we traded for Amari and I was so pissed. Man was I wrong and it's funny cuz Cooper is one of my favorite players now. And when it happened I didn't want him here. Aww good ol memory lane.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Why? What have the Cowboys won since they obtained Amari Cooper?

LOL are you being sarcastic?

Amari completely reshaped our offense to one that was Zeke and run only offense. To one that people are saying you have to "pick your poison."

When people say that you have to pick your poison with Dallas, you can thank Amari Cooper.

 

[TheMightyVanHalen]

When this deal went down I thought we paid too much. Now in hindsight, Jerry did well with this deal.

Getting Cooper and Jerry promoting Moore to OC has upgraded this offense immensely.

Why? What have the Cowboys won since they obtained Amari Cooper?

You don't think Cooper has made a difference here? We have one of the better offenses now. They have obtained that. All we need is a good defense and we're set.

 

[ConstantReboot]

You don't think Cooper has made a difference here? We have one of the better offenses now. They have obtained that. All we need is a good defense and we're set.

Cooper has reshaped this offense to what it is now. His route running ability forces teams to put a safety on top of him. Which makes it easier for the run game to succeed.

 

[Zekeats]

Why the mods let this title exist

 

[Creeper]

LOL are you being sarcastic?

Amari completely reshaped our offense to one that was Zeke and run only offense. To one that people are saying you have to "pick your poison."

When people say that you have to pick your poison with Dallas, you can thank Amari Cooper.

The offense was great last year before Dak was hurt. Their record was 1-3 and they were a bonehead play by Atlanta away from being 0-4.

The point is, as I have made man times, is balancing CAP spend to produce the best team. Not the best offense or defense or special teams but the team that wins games. As I said, the Cowboys are over the CAP by almost $20 million in 2022. They have a boatload of free agents, including Gallup and Wilson. Put Gregory on that list too. When you look around the roster at who they can lose or replace and who would be really hard to replace, IMO, Cooper is expendable and gives the biggest bang for the buck in a trade. The imbalance in spending (offense vs defense) in Dallas is astonishing when you consider DLaw is the only defensive player making a big salary. And DLaw may have to go next year too!

Like I said, I would love to keep everyone dump some bad players and sign an impact DT. But the CAP is going to get in the way of that. It is not a matter of want anymore, it is a matter of necessity now.

 

[blueblood70]

Some people don't seem to get the idea that a team cannot have high paid players at every position. In 2022 the Cowboys are going to have to make some tough decisions. Sure, I would love to keep Cooper and Gallup and CeeDee and Wilson but 2 of those guys are free agents and there are a bunch of other free agents as well. Every time Dallas overpays a guy it makes retaining someone else that much harder. Cooper throughout his career has disappeared in half his games. That's a fact anyone can look up. This year he has 1 100 yard game and 5 games under 70 yards. In 2 games he is under 30 yards. I will not dispute his route running ability but for $20 million he is not producing as much as we should expect. Maybe if Zeke didn't cost $15 million, Lawrence $21 million, and Dak $40 million it would not be so bad to keep Cooper, but we will see in the next 2 years a few of these guys will have to go and one is not going to be Dak.

Maybe trading Cooper hurts the offense a little, assuming they don't draft another guy who can play, but maybe dumping his salary helps them retain other talent to make the team better.

his contract would be tough to trade Gallup can more easily be moved..not lettings him go unless its great trade to improve the defense right now...

 

[America's Cowboy]

Some people don't seem to get the idea that a team cannot have high paid players at every position. In 2022 the Cowboys are going to have to make some tough decisions. Sure, I would love to keep Cooper and Gallup and CeeDee and Wilson but 2 of those guys are free agents and there are a bunch of other free agents as well. Every time Dallas overpays a guy it makes retaining someone else that much harder. Cooper throughout his career has disappeared in half his games. That's a fact anyone can look up. This year he has 1 100 yard game and 5 games under 70 yards. In 2 games he is under 30 yards. I will not dispute his route running ability but for $20 million he is not producing as much as we should expect. Maybe if Zeke didn't cost $15 million, Lawrence $21 million, and Dak $40 million it would not be so bad to keep Cooper, but we will see in the next 2 years a few of these guys will have to go and one is not going to be Dak.

Maybe trading Cooper hurts the offense a little, assuming they don't draft another guy who can play, but maybe dumping his salary helps them retain other talent to make the team better.

I wish everyone would read and understand what you just said. Well put. This is why, no matter how much one likes Cooper (including me), it might be best to make him a June 1st cut (if not traded before the trade deadline next week) and use some of his savings to resign Gallup at a reasonable team-friendly price that works for both parties. The same needs to be done to D-Law and his overpaid contract. Players with overpaid contracts whose performance is not living up to their pay and whose backups are proving they can fill in and play well, need to be cut or traded if this team wants to seriously afford to keep a majority of this playoff capable team intact.

 

[TexasBacon]

Y'all go ahead and keep thinking this team doesn't need Amari because of Ceedee and because of cap space. I think he's the cornerstone that makes the offense dominant. His route running is second to none and his impact in the locker room and with the young WRs has been discussed time and time again. And I think he takes alot of attention away from Ceedee which lets 88 eat. He hasn't disappeared at all this year and from what I've heard has been playing through multiple injuries. Yes, of course with Dak the offense will be good no matter what, but it's currently dominant. If I'm Jerry I find a way to keep Cooper until he unexpectedly falls off or he just has to go to pay Diggs and Parsons. I absolutely love Zeke but I'm cutting Zeke before Cooper, and D-Law before both of them. In this NFL having multiple great pass catchers is a must. Think about the last few teams that have made the SB. All have multiple elite pass catching weapons, not just one #1 WR and some JAGs, which is what we would have if Cooper leaves. Schultz is good but he's no Kelce and either Gallup or Wilson will leave no matter what happens with Amari.

 

[Shane612]

Ok. Here it goes....
Cooper is ok as a receiver, but he isn't anything special. He'll get you 1,100 yards. Do you need to pay someone $18,000,000.00 per to do that?
How many times has he been MIA...when the team needed him the most?
Imagine what he could do if he actually wanted to play every game. Maybe he's just too cool for school.
Over a 16 game season, it's not that difficult to get 1,000 yards, for a #1 receiver. This year there are 17 regular season game, so, I'm expecting about 1,300 yards.
.
Cee Dee Lamb has already past him as a #1 receiver.
Lamb is so much more dynamic than Cooper.

 

[TexasBacon]

Ok. Here it goes....

Lamb is so much more dynamic thanks to Cooper.

Fixed it for you.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Y'all go ahead and keep thinking this team doesn't need Amari because of Ceedee and because of cap space. I think he's the cornerstone that makes the offense dominant. His route running is second to none and his impact in the locker room and with the young WRs has been discussed time and time again. And I think he takes alot of attention away from Ceedee which lets 88 eat. He hasn't disappeared at all this year and from what I've heard has been playing through multiple injuries. Yes, of course with Dak the offense will be good no matter what, but it's currently dominant. If I'm Jerry I find a way to keep Cooper until he unexpectedly falls off or he just has to go to pay Diggs and Parsons. I absolutely love Zeke but I'm cutting Zeke before Cooper, and D-Law before both of them. In this NFL having multiple great pass catchers is a must. Think about the last few teams that have made the SB. All have multiple elite pass catching weapons, not just one #1 WR and some JAGs, which is what we would have if Cooper leaves. Schultz is good but he's no Kelce and either Gallup or Wilson will leave no matter what happens with Amari.

Gallup produces just as well as Cooper, is much healthier/younger and would be much cheaper to keep. Plus, Gallup has led the team in 1st down conversions the past two years, along with yards/reception and tied in TDs.

Also, CeeDee is proving right now that he's the new #1 WR on the team. CeeDee is only going to keep getting better. He's not looking back.

It's a no-brainer. This team needs to cut down on those overpaid contracts when other competition on the team proves they are just as productive and can be kept on cheaper deals.

 

[ConstantReboot]

The offense was great last year before Dak was hurt. Their record was 1-3 and they were a bonehead play by Atlanta away from being 0-4.

The point is, as I have made man times, is balancing CAP spend to produce the best team. Not the best offense or defense or special teams but the team that wins games. As I said, the Cowboys are over the CAP by almost $20 million in 2022. They have a boatload of free agents, including Gallup and Wilson. Put Gregory on that list too. When you look around the roster at who they can lose or replace and who would be really hard to replace, IMO, Cooper is expendable and gives the biggest bang for the buck in a trade. The imbalance in spending (offense vs defense) in Dallas is astonishing when you consider DLaw is the only defensive player making a big salary. And DLaw may have to go next year too!

Like I said, I would love to keep everyone dump some bad players and sign an impact DT. But the CAP is going to get in the way of that. It is not a matter of want anymore, it is a matter of necessity now.

I agree with you that we need to keep the cap under control. Frankly, I do think Cooper is overpaid a little. But you can't blame the players for signing those contracts. I blame Jerry and Stephen for caving in. Especially, Zekes, Tanks and Jaylons contract.

If they had taken care of Prescott's contract earlier on and not have to cave in on Tank's contract, which I think he doesn't deserve, we would have been in a much better situation.

 

[Zman5]

Ok. Here it goes....
Cooper is ok as a receiver, but he isn't anything special. He'll get you 1,100 yards. Do you need to pay someone $18,000,000.00 per to do that?
How many times has he been MIA...when the team needed him the most?
Imagine what he could do if he actually wanted to play every game. Maybe he's just too cool for school.
Over a 16 game season, it's not that difficult to get 1,000 yards, for a #1 receiver. This year there are 17 regular season game, so, I'm expecting about 1,300 yards.
.
Cee Dee Lamb has already past him as a #1 receiver.
Lamb is so much more dynamic than Cooper.

If Lamb can have a big game without Cooper on the field, I'd believe you. Because I see the defenses doubling Cooper and not Lamb.
I'm not saying Lamb cant but I would want to see it few times before agreeing with your claim. We've already seen Cooper have monster games without Lamb in 2018.

 

[TheMightyVanHalen]

Cooper has reshaped this offense to what it is now. His route running ability forces teams to put a safety on top of him. Which makes it easier for the run game to succeed.

Without a doubt. I’ll also add he’s helped Gallup, CeeDee and Schultz too.

 

[Creeper]

Let me be clear, I am not for trading Cooper until after this season is over. Actually, I would love to keep him. I am saying that we need to consider all the possibilities because we are in a position where at least one big move must happen.

My opinion is, this year is the window for the Cowboys to do something big because next year we will see a large number of contributing players leave via free agency - unless they are willing to make some trades to free up a lot of CAP space. Next year, whether we like it or not, there will be players leaving the Cowboys. Gallup, Wilson and Brown are all free agents. Perhaps the smart move is keep Cooper with CeeDee and use draft picks to fill out the 3rd and 4th receivers.

But Gregory is also a free agent and so is Dorance Armstrong. I don't expect Armstrong to be a big contract but Gregory is going to get paid, not what Lawrence makes but more than the Cowboys can afford given their CAP situation, unless they are willing to trade DLaw too. Trading him saves $8 million and making him a post June 1 cut saves $19 million in 2022 and another $18 million in 2023.

And remember too, before the Cowboys can sign anyone they need to come up with about $20 million in CAP saves bearing in mind that Dak's CAP hit next year doubles from $17.2 million to $37.4 million. and it goes up to $45.5 million in 2023. So converting salary into bonus just makes the problem harder to solve in 2023 and 2024. And btw, Dak's contract is voided in 2024 and Jerry will overpay him again, maybe $60 million or more next time.

So trading Lawrence, or cutting him gets them close to getting under. They can do some minor restructures to get themselves under without making a mess of the next 2 years. But how much will they need to re-sign Gallup and Gregory? and Wilson, LVE and one or two of the safeties? Then there is Jourdan Lewis, Schultz, etc.

Like I said, 2022 will see a changed roster which means 2021 is the window of opportunity for this team.

It looks to be a perpetual problem for Jerry because he gives contracts to players who can never produce at the level he pays them.

 

[Cowpolk]

Why? What have the Cowboys won since they obtained Amari Cooper?

Games

 

[Flamma]

I'm not a big fan of drafting a WR in the first round. But there are certain situations where it isn't a bad idea. Dallas needed Cooper in the worst way when they got him. Lamb was picked due to a lack of a more obvious defensive choice. Both have paid off, so Dallas is lucky there.

 

[Flamma]

Some people don't seem to get the idea that a team cannot have high paid players at every position. In 2022 the Cowboys are going to have to make some tough decisions. Sure, I would love to keep Cooper and Gallup and CeeDee and Wilson but 2 of those guys are free agents and there are a bunch of other free agents as well. Every time Dallas overpays a guy it makes retaining someone else that much harder. Cooper throughout his career has disappeared in half his games. That's a fact anyone can look up. This year he has 1 100 yard game and 5 games under 70 yards. In 2 games he is under 30 yards. I will not dispute his route running ability but for $20 million he is not producing as much as we should expect. Maybe if Zeke didn't cost $15 million, Lawrence $21 million, and Dak $40 million it would not be so bad to keep Cooper, but we will see in the next 2 years a few of these guys will have to go and one is not going to be Dak.

Maybe trading Cooper hurts the offense a little, assuming they don't draft another guy who can play, but maybe dumping his salary helps them retain other talent to make the team better.

I agree. Look, I like Cooper. I don't think anyone doesn't like him. For the same reason I don't think people suggesting to trade Gallup don't like him. It's situational. It's cap hits and ages of players, who we need, and what is thought to be best for the team.

I had assumed they'd move on from Cooper and pay Gallup, then Lamb. Can't pay all 3. Can't pay two WR1 money. I have always assumed, and based on the cap, that this would be Cooper's last year. I don't know what Gallup is asking for. But I think we know what Lamb will be asking for.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Some people don't seem to get the idea that a team cannot have high paid players at every position. In 2022 the Cowboys are going to have to make some tough decisions. Sure, I would love to keep Cooper and Gallup and CeeDee and Wilson but 2 of those guys are free agents and there are a bunch of other free agents as well. Every time Dallas overpays a guy it makes retaining someone else that much harder. Cooper throughout his career has disappeared in half his games. That's a fact anyone can look up. This year he has 1 100 yard game and 5 games under 70 yards. In 2 games he is under 30 yards. I will not dispute his route running ability but for $20 million he is not producing as much as we should expect. Maybe if Zeke didn't cost $15 million, Lawrence $21 million, and Dak $40 million it would not be so bad to keep Cooper, but we will see in the next 2 years a few of these guys will have to go and one is not going to be Dak.

Maybe trading Cooper hurts the offense a little, assuming they don't draft another guy who can play, but maybe dumping his salary helps them retain other talent to make the team better.

This is a smart post. The whole reason I was worried about the amount getting paid to Dak was the salary cap and it then becoming harder to pay the talent he needs around him. However, I said I would be willing to admit if I were wrong. At this point, I think that's true. I now see Dak as a top 3 elite quarterback whereas back then I saw him as an above-average one. He's much, much better than I was expecting him to be. So, I was wrong. Paying his contract was totally worth it.

The Amari Cooper trade was totally worth it. We got exactly what we needed in an elite wide receiver. However, depending on the cap implications, it may or may not be worth keeping him at some point. Depends on a lot of things, such as how are the lower-paid receivers playing, what are our needs at other positions, how long he can keep playing at a high level, etc.

The bottom line is, thanks to the salary cap, there are rarely any easy decisions on which players to retain and which to let walk.