Monday began with the Cowboys ensuring that their franchise quarterback would remain in Dallas, and it ended with them ensuring his No. 1 target wouldn't leave town, either.
The Cowboys and wide receiver Amari Cooper have reached an agreement in principle on a five-year, $100 million contract to stay with the Cowboys, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports. Rapoport adds that Cooper will receive $60 million in guarantees. The team later confirmed the deal.
ESPN first reported the news of the Cooper deal.
Cooper's deal includes $40 million fully guaranteed and the other $20 million guaranteed is for injury only right now, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported, per a source. It becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster the fifth day of the 2022 league year, Garafolo added.
The Cooper contract news comes roughly 12 hours after the Cowboys elected to place the exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Dak Prescott.
Since being traded to Dallas in the middle of the 2018 season, Cooper has turned around what was an unbalanced attack. Cooper has picked up 132 catches for 1,914 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 25 starts in Big D, helping Ezekiel Elliott and Prescott get paid before the WR finally cashed in right before the start of 2020 free agency.
Cooper's contract is one befitting arguably the best receiver in the league. At $20 million per year, Cooper is second among WRs in average annual value to Atlanta's Julio Jones ($22M). His $60 million in guaranteed money is fourth behind Michael Thomas ($60.6M), Jones ($64M) and Odell Beckham Jr. ($65M).
With Cooper under wraps, Dallas has managed the improbable for the 2020 season, keeping most of its star talent -- Elliott, Prescott, Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence -- in the building on a mix of long- and short-term deals; Byron Jones inked a mega-deal with the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.
The Cowboys' Super Bowl window is still open, and the offseason drama in Big D is finally over ... for now.
