What is the best Amari Cooper trade destination?

By: Jake Rajala

The Dallas Cowboys illustrious wide receiver Amari Cooper has been a fine weapon for 2021 Comeback Player of The Year favorite Dak Prescott over the past few seasons. Cooper rightfully earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2019 with a career-high receiving yard mark (1,189) and eight touchdown catches that tied a career regular season high.

Despite Cooper elevating his efficiency with Prescott, the Cowboys elected to draft WR Ceedee Lamb to bolster the WR group in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Flash forward to 2022, it appears that Lamb has been a fantastic draft pick and the 27-year-old Cooper is slowly fading out of the big picture. In fact, the notorious Boys owner and GM Jerry Jones expressed his frustration with Cooper following the NFC East team’s early exit from the postseason. Per CBS Sports, Jones stated loud and clear that Cooper “ought to be able to catch it in the middle when they’re going with him”.

Jones could really opt to cut ties with Cooper for two reasons. If the Cowboys throw Cooper under the bus and then proceed to cut him, they could save a whopping $16 million. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they pardon Cooper and then use that extra money to keep the younger, highlight-reel WR Michael Gallup in town. Gallup is a free agent in 2022 and it seems obvious that he won’t be staying barring a large increase in cap space for the Boys.

So, will Cooper stay or go now? Well, if Dak does lose his physical beast of a wideout, here are the likely landing spots for Cooper’s services.

New York Jets

I would not be blown away if Jones sent Cooper to no man’s land, also known as the 4-13 New York Jets. The Jets are in the opposite aisle of the Cowboys, as they rest in the bottom of the AFC.

The Jets could look to make a big move at the WR position to help out the struggling 2021 rookie signal-caller Zach Wilson. The second overall pick from the 2021 draft struggled mightily last season as he threw more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (9). The 22-year-old QB will need more help than his 2019 rookie WR Elijah Moore, who led the team in receiving yards (538) and receiving touchdowns (5). The second-year WR Denzel Mims took a sophomore slump not just for himself, but for every WR in the league last season. Saleh knows that he needs talent across the board, but he needs to help Wilson with more explosions and a WR like Cooper can help override the weaknesses the Jets carry upfront.

We’ve seen young QBs in recent years like Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, and Tua Tagovailoa receive their firepower. It may be time for Zach Wilson to have a true opportunity to put up fireworks in the Big Apple.

The Jets have the fifth-most cap space in the league with roughly $48 million and attractive draft compensation in the 2022 and likely 2023 draft. Robert Saleh has the ammunition to acquire the Cowboys misfit wideout.

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons WR group is looking like the Walking Dead in 2022. It’s been well noted that the Falcons missed their ex WR Julio Jones this season. To make matters worse, ATL will likely not have Calvin Ridley on their roster for training camp. Ridley retired mid-season and he’s been heavily rumored in trade talks over the past couple of weeks.

The 7-10 Falcons that arguably exceeded expectations this past season could take a massive jump to a winning record next season if they pair Amari Cooper with the 2021 rookie stud Kyle Pitts. The former Gator TE appears to be a future rockstar as he registered 1,026 yards in just his first season. Pitts The 21-year-old TE has a slow start to the year and he didn’t quite take off until October 10th against the Jets, but he did flash his rare ability against the Jets and many times afterward.

The third place NFC South squad shouldn’t completely pull the plug on their talented 36 year old QB. If the Falcons can equip Matty Ice with serious firepower, the Falcons could make a strong push for NFC South prominence as the Buccaneers may not have Tom Brady next season. If TB12 announces his retirement this offseason, all four NFC South squads will arguably have a massive question mark at QB. The door could be open for the Falcons to add a few pieces around their QB that led them to a Super Bowl and make a strong push for playoff city.

The Falcons cap situation is gloomy and it’s no secret that Ryan carries the highest cap hit on his team with a $48.6 million figure. The Falcons restructured his contract last offseason and I’d expect them to do that this offseason again. Ryan could be open to restructuring his contract if it helps them make a large addition, as well.

Los Angeles Rams

Sean McVay likes to have a blockbuster trade with his coffee in the morning. It’s clear that McVay wasn’t scared to make a push for big name profiles like Jalen Ramsey, Ndamukong Suh, Odell Beckham Jr, Matthew Stafford, and Von Miller. The LA big lights have clearly rubbed off on McVay since he took over as the Rams ring leader. The Rams are coming off a monster victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald shined. They are now fighting for a Super Bowl spot next weekend against their arch-nemesis in the SF 49ers, but they won’t slow down in the offseason. Odell Beckham Jr. will likely be headed elsewhere in the offseason as he is an overly shiny free agent and McVay could look to restock on firepower in the offseason.

The Rams bright head coach could look to add Cooper to an offense featuring 2021 Offensive Player of The Year candidate Cooper Kupp, soon-to-be healthy Robert Woods, RB Cam Akers, and gunslinger Matthew Stafford. Cooper may even be an upgrade over OBJ at this point in time. If Jerry Jones is open to sending Cooper to the NFC West superpower team, McVay may be tempted to close the books on the deal. If McVay loses at the hands of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, McVay could be convinced that they just need a bit more explosion to secure a Lombardi trophy in the near future.

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson has quietly been removed from the cream of the crop QB conversation and Jim Harbaugh needs to make sure that issue is resolved. Mark Andrews has been a rockstar and one of the league’s top tight ends. Marquise Brown has been a speed demon and clear threat in his young career. The Ravens still need to be in awe of the Kansas City Chiefs with Tyreek Hill, Buffalo Bills with Stefon Diggs, and Cincinnati Bengals with Ja’Marr Chase on the outside. It’s clear Jackson needs his own juice at the WR position.

The Ravens can’t settle with additions like Sammy Watkins, who essentially had half the production of Saints WR Deonte Harris in New Orleans’s broken passing offense. Amari Cooper would simply be the perfect addition for the once NFL’s youngest MVP in Lamar Jackson. The Ravens are also slipping in the AFC North, as the Bengals and Steelers grabbed recently grabbed playoff spots ahead of them. Cooper can be a veteran wideout that can still ascend with Jackson throughout the upcoming years.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence will be screaming “somebody to love” by Queen this offseason. The new-look Jaguars should look to help out their 22-year-old QB and they have the cap space to do so. The former first overall pick hasn’t been treated well in his short Jaguars tenure thus far. The first-year head coach Urban Meyer failed Jacksonville which led to his early demise. Lawrence was also only gifted Marvin Jones Jr. and Travis Etienne (suffered a season-ending injury in 2021) in the past offseason, so there are obviously a few empty chambers remaining in Lawrence’s revolver. The Jags starting QB and the whole offense are left with a very heavy burden.

The former Clemson star threw more interceptions (17) than touchdowns (12) and his 24th ranked Jaguars passing offense couldn’t put up a fight in countless contests. The Jaguars offense scored 10 or fewer points in six games last season, as well. The RB position should see a boost with the return of Clemson RB Travis Etienne. It’s time for the WR group to see a competitive stud join the locker room. The new coach, who could be Jim Harbaugh, should look to make a splash addition on offense and help his highly touted QB. The Jaguars face a mountain in 2022, but they can make a leap of progress if they add a few pieces for respectable measures moving forward. If Lawrence can take a massive jump in 2022 with Cooper, the Jaguars could have the best QB-WR combo in the AFC South.

Honorable Mentions

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears moved on from the unpopular Matt Nagy in 2022. Yet, they have a big name QB in rookie Justin Fields and they will likely ink a head coach that is offensive-minded. A coach wonder like Eric Bieniemy, Byron Leftwich, or Kellen Moore could see themselves in the frigid Chicago area soon.

The team in the Windy City can’t allow Fields to burn out, especially with the expected exit from Aaron Rodgers in the NFC North. The new head coach desperately needs to bring in a big-name wideout like Amari Cooper. The 25th ranked passing offense a year ago looked miserable. They truly can’t expect Darnell Mooney (1,055) to be the best talent they carry at the lead WR spot. The Bears should see the once standout Allen Robinson leave the building, who reportedly didn’t speak to Matt Nagy for five months. Jimmy Graham, who could end up in the Hall of Fame (largely for his magic in New Orleans), will be out of Chi-town in the near age, as well.

Miami Dolphins

The 2021 rookie Jaylen Waddle was phenomenal with 104 receptions, 1,015 receiving yards, and six touchdowns. Waddle, who is lightning quick, might just be the next Tyreek Hill. The former first-rounder Devante Parker ought to be traded finally. The Dolphins fell short of reaching the playoff prize after they largely failed to put up any type of offensive production in a 34-3 loss against the Tennessee Titans in Week 17.

The Dolphins could be also moving on from former first-round Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa after ditching former Dolphins head coach Mike Flores this offseason. If the Dolphins land Amari Cooper, it will be much more attractive for the Dolphins to land a big-name QB. With the addition of Cooper, they may be able to attract the attention of Seahawks Russell Wilson or former MVP QB Aaron Rodgers. The arrival of a gifted QB and WR would help the third place Dolphins keep pace with the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady might just retire after his recent divisional-round loss or he may announce he’s making the last ride with Gronk into the 2022 season. After all, Brady is chasing “Michael Jordan” and he failed to add another championship ring to his belt in 2022.

The Bucs parted ways with former Pro Bowl WR Antonio Brown late in the season. Chris Godwin is also coming off a torn ACL and he is a 2022 free agent. If the Bucs move on from Godwin, it would be ideal if the Bucs sought out another talented WR to pair with Mike Evans. They have been rumored to land Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, but I would love to see Bruce Arians level up by obtaining Amari Cooper. There are two things that are closest to Arians’s heart: a glass of whiskey and the number one passing offense.