Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones throws shade at Amari Cooper
Shortly after the Dallas Cowboys disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Game, team owner Jerry Jones went on 105.3 The Fan to talk about a plethora of his various frustrations with the team. Jones expressed anger about not making it further with the current personnel, uncertainty about coaching, what moves need to be made, and more.
But Jones also specifically mentioned his frustration with wide receiver Amari Cooper. He felt Cooper should have had far more of an impact this season than he did, especially considering the fact that the receiver earned $20 million this year.
The words from Jones sparked conversation about the possibility of Dallas cutting Cooper to save money in salary cap. Much of this was overshadowed by the drama of Jones figuring out how to re-sign Dan Quinn and go back on his initial refusal to confirm Mike McCarthy’s future.
Now, a week later, Jones’ son and the team’s executive vice president Stephen Jones was throwing shade at Cooper, too. When Steven was talking with reporters at the Senior Bowl in Alabama, it was hard to tell whether his quote was blaming play calling, Dak Prescott, or Cooper. But he definitely wasn’t shy about saying that any player who gets a salary that big should be expected to produce.
Stephen Jones on Amari Cooper: "It sometimes not all on the receiver. It's scheme. It's getting the receiver the ball. It's the targets ... But if you're going to pay somebody a lot of money, you want them to be the best at what they do ... with that comes high expectations."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 2, 2022
Cowboys EVP Steven Jones comments on Amari Cooper’s salary and production in light of salary cap woes
Poor Cooper. Two of the Jones’s against you is not where you want to be. While publically talking poorly about your players isn’t a great look, there is some merit to what the two executives are saying. Cooper’s $20 million earnings made him the highest paid receiver in the NFL this year. The receiver’s 58 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns doesn’t feel like enough for that salary.
It also doesn’t help that the Cowboys have the third-worst amount of cap space heading into the offseaon. With big-name free agents hitting the market next month, the Jones’s have some serious maneuvering to do to figure out how they can keep key players or get new ones.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on the salary cap: "We're going to have to make some tough decisions. We're not going to be able to keep everybody we'd like to keep. That's part of it. The cap is a real thing."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 2, 2022
To be fair to Cooper, the emergence of CeeDee Lamb didn’t help his stats. He’s also a four-time Pro Bowl selection. If Jones wants to give him up, another team will gladly take him. Cooper’s chances at staying in Dallas aren’t helped by the fact that the Cowboys can save $16 million against the cap by releasing him (according to Spotrac).
Tough decisions will have to be made. Do you think Cooper will be on the roster next year?
