Wild Tweet Suggests Cowboys Could Cut Amari Cooper After 2021 if CeeDee Lamb Takes Over Offense
By Mark Powell
The Dallas Cowboys arguably got the steal of the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, when they snagged CeeDee Lamb with the 17th overall pick.
The Oklahoma product wasn't supposed to fall so far, and the Eagles were reportedly sniffing to move ahead of their NFC East rival to take Lamb. Now, Dallas features a receiving corps with Lamb, Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper, and that ought to scare the rest of the NFL.
But how long will that group stay intact? Per Adam Levitan, it might not be long.
One note on CeeDee Lamb's long-term outlook: The "5-year, $100M" contract Amari Cooper just signed has zero guaranteed dollars after the 2021 season.
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) April 24, 2020
Cooper's five-year deal essentially provides the Cowboys with an out after 2021, should they choose. If Cooper is still productive, it's unlikely they'll let him go -- but if Lamb has surpassed the Alabama product, there's no guarantee he'll be on Dallas' roster come 2022.
Jerry Jones said he would like CeeDee Lamb to wear No. 88, following in the Cowboys WR footsteps of Dez Bryant, Michael Irvin and Drew Pearson
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 24, 2020
Lamb's ability to make plays after the catch, and the fact he'll be playing lesser CB's thanks to Cooper should make for some gaudy statistical performances.
Cooper's contract proves he's in the Cowboys' long-term plan, but that blueprint could change based on the sum of its parts. After giving Prescott his long-term deal (which is surely looming), Dallas will need to get creative in finding cap space to add to their talented roster.
Cutting Cooper post-2021 is an avenue Jerry Jones could explore.