Report: Amari Cooper Traded to Browns from Cowboys for 2022 5th-Round Pick, More

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Dallas Cowboys are trading wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns.

Adam Schefter gave details.

Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter

Cowboys are finalizing a trade to send WR Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for a 2022 fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick, per league sources.

Dallas and Cleveland were working on a deal, according to CBS Sports.

He signed a five-year, $100 million extension with the Cowboys, but his long-term future in Dallas came under question in February.

The team wanted to keep Michael Gallup, but they were planning to bring back the star running back, according to Tom Pelissero. Cooper's large salary-cap hit left him as the odd man out.

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet

The @NFLGameDay Notebook with @MikeGarafolo and @TomPelissero: #Bucs want Tom Brady back; Tampa will swing big if Brady isn't back; Zeke Elliott will be back for Dallas; The latest on Russell Wilson; #Raiders plan to commit to Carr… & #Packers want to do so for Aaron Rodgers. pic.twitter.com/LYDRncTHkY

Jerry Jones made some comments on the four-time Pro Bowler during an appearance on The Fan in January.

Jones didn't have any comment on Cooper's contract, but he did say that Cooper didn't make much of a difference.

I thought that Cooper had a big part in the way we were playing early in the game. I am not being trite. When he runs a route, he should take half the field with him. A whole bunch of the defense should have to honor Cooper. He should be able to catch it when they are with him. Others do. You throw to people who are covered. You have to. Most people don't have the number of receiver we have.

Cooper surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth time in his career despite missing 11 games in 2020. The return of the quarterback to full-time duty in 2021 did not coincide with a return to form.

In 15 games, Cooper caught 68 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdown, while CeeDee Lamb and Gallup caught 35 and 25 passes, respectively.

If Dallas wanted to free up cap space, Cooper's contract didn't make a difference. The team saves $16 million and only has $6 million in dead money by trading him now.

His production from last season was not up to par.

His 12.7 yards per reception were not a significant departure from his career average (13.7), but his 6.9 targets per game were more than one fewer target than he averaged over his previous two-and-a-half years with Dallas. The lost targets begin to add up over the course of a full season.

In December, Cooper expressed how he thought he had a bigger role to play in the offense.

Reworking his deal was probably the best solution for the Cowboys. Cooper may not have been all that enthusiastic about taking a pay cut, and now his contract will go to Cleveland.

Jones handed out lucrative contracts without considering the long-term implications.

Two years after he got a big pay raise, Jaylon Smith was let go by the team, and DeMarcus Lawrence was thought to be a cap casualty. If the financial penalty of releasing or trading him wasn't so severe, his future might be in more jeopardy.

If Cooper regresses to the norm a bit in 2022, the $20 million average annual salary for him is not a significant overpay. It might be better utilized elsewhere on the field for Dallas.

The acquisition of Cooper will provide a big boost to the passing game. After getting cast aside by the Cowboys, they might be banking on him carrying a big chip on his shoulder.