{"id":68686,"date":"2025-04-29T10:52:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/?p=68686"},"modified":"2025-04-29T10:46:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:46:59","slug":"cowboys-want-that-old-thing-back-amari-cooper-reunion-rumors-heat-up-in-dallas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/cowboys-want-that-old-thing-back-amari-cooper-reunion-rumors-heat-up-in-dallas\/68686\/","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys want that old thing back: Amari Cooper reunion rumors heat up in Dallas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" data-start=\"377\" data-end=\"603\">The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a familiar, and frustrating, position this offseason: in desperate need of a legit wide receiver to line up opposite CeeDee Lamb, and yet, no major moves have been made to solve the problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"605\" data-end=\"925\">While the team\u2019s front office has been surprisingly quiet in free agency, there\u2019s now buzz around a potential homecoming that\u2019s turning heads in Cowboys Nation. According to <em data-start=\"779\" data-end=\"805\">Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/em> reporter Nick Harris, Dallas is showing \u201cbuilding interest\u201d in bringing back former Pro Bowl receiver <strong data-start=\"908\" data-end=\"924\">Amari Cooper<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"927\" data-end=\"1088\">Yep, the same Amari Cooper they once spent a first-round pick to acquire back in 2018\u2026 only to trade away four years later for a measly fifth- and sixth-rounder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1118\" data-end=\"1474\">Cooper was a key piece in revitalizing the Cowboys\u2019 passing game when he arrived midseason in 2018. He quickly built chemistry with quarterback Dak Prescott and gave the offense a dangerous new dimension. During his time in Dallas, Cooper racked up <strong data-start=\"1367\" data-end=\"1410\">3,893 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns<\/strong>, proving himself as a reliable and often dominant No. 1 option.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1476\" data-end=\"1510\">He was <em data-start=\"1483\" data-end=\"1493\">that guy, <\/em>until he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1512\" data-end=\"1914\">In 2022, Dallas shocked many fans by shipping Cooper off to the Cleveland Browns, citing salary cap concerns and a desire to \u201cspread the ball around\u201d more. But that gamble didn\u2019t exactly pay off. Since then, the Cowboys have leaned heavily on CeeDee Lamb, who has been phenomenal, but the rest of the receiving corps has lacked consistency, separation, and the ability to punish defences who double Lamb.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1916\" data-end=\"2253\">Now, Cooper is back on the market after being briefly traded to the Buffalo Bills, who released him ahead of the 2025 season. And with the Cowboys poking around the veteran receiver market, where names like <strong data-start=\"2122\" data-end=\"2138\">Keenan Allen<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"2140\" data-end=\"2156\">Robert Woods<\/strong>, and <strong data-start=\"2162\" data-end=\"2180\">Nelson Agholor<\/strong> remain unsigned, it\u2019s no surprise that Cooper\u2019s name would come up again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2255\" data-end=\"2353\">But here\u2019s the catch: while the Cowboys may want Cooper back, it\u2019s far from certain he wants them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2355\" data-end=\"2623\">As Harris puts it, \u201cTeam interest is one thing, but the appeal will have to be reciprocated by Cooper if the two sides do, in fact, connect over a second stint with the Cowboys.\u201d In other words, it takes two to tango\u2014and Cooper might not be feeling the music just yet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2625\" data-end=\"2945\">Let\u2019s not forget, this is a guy who made five Pro Bowls, including one as recently as 2023. He\u2019s still producing at a high level, and he\u2019ll have no shortage of suitors. According to contract analytics site Spotrac, Cooper\u2019s projected market value is <strong data-start=\"2875\" data-end=\"2912\">around $37 million over two years<\/strong>, which isn\u2019t exactly a discount.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2947\" data-end=\"2986\">So, is this reunion actually realistic?<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2988\" data-end=\"3322\">That depends on two key factors: <strong data-start=\"3021\" data-end=\"3030\">money<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"3035\" data-end=\"3052\">mended fences<\/strong>. The Cowboys would need to pony up real cash to land him, which they\u2019ve been hesitant to do for external free agents. And they\u2019d need to sell Cooper on the idea that things will be different this time, that they actually have a plan for success and stability on offense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3324\" data-end=\"3617\">The question isn\u2019t whether Cooper can still ball, he absolutely can. The real question is: can the Cowboys finally make the kind of bold, smart, veteran move that has eluded them in recent offseasons? And is Cooper willing to overlook the past for one more run under the bright lights in Big D?<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3619\" data-end=\"3746\">With the 2025 season inching closer and Dallas\u2019 receiver room still looking dangerously thin beyond Lamb, the clock is ticking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a familiar, and frustrating, position this offseason: in desperate need of a legit wide\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":68687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[24894,6337],"class_list":["post-68686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-amari-cooper","tag-cowboys"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}