NFL insider reveals surprising reason for Amari Cooper trade

If you think that the Dallas Cowboys trade of wide receiver Amari Cooper was about the money, you’re only half right. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, while the money may have played a part in the trade, it is the development of other receivers on the roster that helped facilitate the move.

“Well, there was the money here; $20 million for Amari Cooper and the Cowboys were able to get out from under the money because it was not guaranteed this year,” said Rapoport. “Obviously, the Cleveland Browns are going to pay it otherwise they would not have done. This trade, I think, for the Dallas Cowboys, it was really more about the future. They see CeeDee Lamb as their future number one receiver.”

Lamb’s production in his first two years with the Dallas Cowboys has been impressive and consistent. In 2020, Lamb had 74 catches for 935 yards, and five touchdowns. He followed that up in his sophomore season with 79 catches for 1102 yards and six touchdowns. However, Rapoport doesn’t see it as just one Cowboys receiver that helped influence the change.

“They also have a long term deal to working on with Michael Gallup and they would like to get Cedrick Wilson back in free agency, as well. So, it’s really just they would have preferred to sign several receivers for this price rather than have one receiver take up $20 million. Considering the development of CeeDee Lamb, it made this trade palatable for the Dallas Cowboys. This is much better for them than simply to release him and eat up some of the dead money and not clear as much space.”

Cowboys compensation in Cooper trade

The Dallas Cowboys have traded star wide receiver Amari Cooper, according to several Saturday morning reports, and the trade package for a four-time Pro Bowl selection may come as a bit of a surprise.

Cooper, who’s spent the last three-and-a-half seasons in Dallas, has been one of the Cowboys’ top targets ever since his arrival. Yet the Cowboys traded him for pennies on the dollar, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported that the package included Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick in exchange for the Cleveland Browns’ 2022 fifth-round pick and sixth-round pick.

Cooper finished last season with 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 68 receptions, while appearing in just 15 games. Those were all career-lows for Cooper during his short stint in Dallas, as the star wideout had notched 1,114 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 92 receptions in 2020, and 1,189 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 79 receptions in 2019.