Amari Cooper news is not good for the Denver Broncos
The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly going to trade or release Amari Cooper soon. That news is not good for the Denver Broncos.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dallas Cowboys are expected to release wide receiver Amari Cooper as he’s set to count $20 million against the 2022 salary cap.
Although on the surface this news doesn’t directly affect the Denver Broncos, it might end up being bad news for them anyway.
If the Cowboys cut Amari Cooper, he would count $6 million against the salary cap, not $22 million for a team that is projected to be more than $21 million over the cap. A trade with Cooper’s contract is, in the words of one source, “not likely.”https://t.co/iOjlcJIrHI https://t.co/NfcC8f9w5H
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2022
Amari Cooper situation could impact the Denver Broncos
Over the course of his seven-year NFL career, Amari Cooper has averaged 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns per year. He’s been a four-time Pro Bowl selection and although he doesn’t get the same type of fanfare as other receivers in the NFL, he’s an excellent and well-rounded receiver who knows how to get open, can make plays in space, and makes his quarterback’s life easier.
That’s just what the Denver Broncos need joining a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, or Las Vegas Raiders in the 2022 offseason.
Although every team in the AFC West has a variety of needs heading into 2022 NFL Free Agency, wide receiver is at or near the top of the list for those three teams.
There’s no guarantee that Cooper would join the AFC West if and when released by the Dallas Cowboys, but it would certainly make plenty of sense.
The Los Angeles Chargers are expected to be aggressive in free agency as it is, and one of their top receivers — Mike Williams — is slated for free agency. Could they sign Cooper to replace Williams? Could they sign both and keep Keenan Allen in the slot full time?
What about the new-look Las Vegas Raiders? Sure, Cooper was once traded by the Raiders, but that was then and this is now. The Raiders are under new management with Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels leading the charge, and perhaps Cooper is willing to let bygones be bygones if he loved playing with Derek Carr.
The Kansas City Chiefs always seem to find ways to make moves above their apparent means. Could they go after Cooper in the 2022 offseason after failing to add receivers in previous years like JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2021?
I think there’s a great chance of it, which just makes the Denver Broncos’ job even tougher.
The teams in the AFC West besides Denver, for the most part, have solidified and set quarterback positions. Not all of them have the same financial flexibility, but the Chargers have a ton of cap space and Justin Herbert on a rookie deal.
They also haven’t made the playoffs in Herbert’s first two seasons, so they have every reason to be aggressive and not settle for the status quo.
It’s shaping up to be a competitive offseason all across the AFC West and a player like Amari Cooper could easily fit in with one of the teams Denver has to go up against.