NFL insider confirms what Cowboys fans already knew about Amari Cooper trade

Tuesday was a monster news day in the NFL, but Jerry Jones made sure the Dallas Cowboys remained a prominent talking point during their bye week.

Faced with questions from local radio about the Cowboys' lackluster offseason and overall lowered standard, Jones went off the rails and even threatened to have the hosts fired.

It was an all-time Jerry Jones day, which speaks volumes. Beyond his petulant outburst, Jones endured another seismic loss when the Bills acquired old friend Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick from the Browns for a third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick.

Even though Cooper is three years older and no longer in his prime, Cleveland got a better return for the five-time Pro Bowler than what Dallas got in 2021. The Cowboys infamously traded Cooper for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick swap.

With Dallas desperate for a wide receiver to complement CeeDee Lamb, fans hoped for a potential Cooper reunion before the trade deadline. Those talks never made it off the ground.

Cowboys reportedly never considered trading for Amari Cooper

Like countless fans, former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant has had a difficult time watching Dallas' offense this season. The franchise's all-time leader with 75 touchdown catches, Bryant has been very vocal on social media about wanting Cooper back in Dallas.

One of Bryant's posts prompted a response from longtime Cowboys insider Ed Werder, who stated that "neither side" longed for a reunion.

Deep down Cowboys fans knew that was the case.

For starters, this front office seldom admits to a mistake. Trading for Cooper for a second time would essentially be an admission that trading him away was the wrong decision. The betterment of the team should trump pride (obviously), but this front office is a rare breed of stubborn.

Cooper's $20 million salary was the prime motivator for trading him to Cleveland. After the Browns restructured his contract to make a trade easier, he is owed $1.21 million for the rest of the season and counts just $806,677 million against the salary cap.

Cooper was very affordable, but Werder's report makes it sound like bridges were burned when Dallas traded him to the Browns.

Can you blame Cooper if that's the case? He posted nearly 4,000 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns in 56 games while on an affordable contract and the front office seemingly couldn't wait to get him out of town. Jerry and Stephen Jones did him dirty. There's no argument around that.

Just as they did when he was traded to Cleveland, Cowboys fans will be rooting for Cooper to crush it in Buffalo to spite the Jones family.

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