The week in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine is an excellent opportunity for teams and agents of players to catch up on contract talks. While at the combine last week, the Dallas Cowboys met with representatives of Dak Prescott, Byron Jones, and Amari Cooper.
Those talks all went a variety of directions and didn't lead to anything concrete, but it provided some clarity as to the direction the Dallas Cowboys are taking. We learned that the Cowboys will almost certainly use the exclusive franchise tag on Dak Prescott if the two sides are unable to come to an agreement by the March 12th deadline. We also learned that Byron Jones will be testing the free agency waters when the league year opens on March 18th. Jones is expected to have quite a few suitors on the open market and may come away with the richest cornerback contract ever.
That leaves us with Amari Cooper, where news has been a little more under the radar. However, per a report from ESPN.com, things are looking positive on the possibility of a long-term contract extension.
“The Cowboys also are working on an extension with wide receiver Amari Cooper, and sources say they've been encouraged by the state of those talks in recent weeks. If no new collective bargaining agreement is in place by the start of the league year, teams would be allowed to use the franchise tag and the transition tag this year, and in that case Cooper would be a strong candidate for the transition tag if they can't do an extension with him in time.”
Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com
The Dallas Cowboys have been committed to finding a long-term contract for Amari Cooper since trading their 2019 first round pick for him in the middle of the 2018 season. He and Dak Prescott found instant chemistry on the field over the last half of 2018, igniting the Cowboys offense and helping the team go on a 7-1 run to finish the season.
Despite injuries limiting him for much of the 2019 season, Amari Cooper put together another really strong campaign. His chemistry with Dak Prescott is one of the major reasons the Cowboys offense found success and why Prescott was able to set career highs in yards and touchdowns in 2019.
New Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy was impressed with Cooper when he and the coaching staff went back and reviewed the film from 2019 and stated, he hopes to bring Cooper back for 2020.
Mike McCarthy on his desire to retain Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb pic.twitter.com/6DjyHBosoE
— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) February 26, 2020
The Cowboys and Amari Cooper will come to an agreement on a contract extension that will make Cooper one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. He's been incredibly valuable to the Cowboys through his first year and a half with the organization.
With 10 days until the franchise and transition tag deadline and 16 days until the opening of free agency, there's plenty of time for the two sides to work out a deal. Both sides are motivated to come to an agreement and that mutual interest is an important aspect to finalizing a long-term contract.
There will be deals.
