New England Patriots 2020 Free Agency targets: WR Amari Cooper
If top free agent wide receiver Amari Cooper can’t work out a deal to return to Dallas, the New England Patriots may swoop in.
The New England Patriots are due to make one of those surprise free agent signings that stuns the NFL.
Back when Stephon Gilmore signed a five-year, $65 million contract in 2017 during free agency, no one seen it coming. The Patriots at the time appeared okay at the cornerback position with Malcolm Butler serving as the top cornerback. That didn’t stop Bill Belichick from making a splash.
Expect that on the offensive side of the football this offseason. With a glaring need at tight end and wide receiver, Belichick just may make a move no one expects, which means signing Amari Cooper.
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Coming off a season in which he caught 79 passes for 1,189 yards and 8 touchdowns, Cooper is due for a big payday, which seemingly would count the New England Patriots out, but Cooper would add a dynamic aspect to the Patriots’ offense that would certainly entice Tom Brady to stick around.
In fact, that may be the major motivation if Belichick and the Patriots make such a splash.
But, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here. The Dallas Cowboys do want Cooper back and the top pending free agent wide receiver has voiced his desire to remain with a team in which he has refueled his young NFL career.
"“I love being a Dallas Cowboy,” Cooper said during an appearance on KRLD-FM in Dallas, via AL.com. “I love everything about it. I was just thinking about that today. I think about it almost every day really. Prime-time games – we play, it seems, like more night games than anybody, and that always feels good for football players. Everything – the facility, I love it here in Frisco, where I stay at now; just the aura of being a Dallas Cowboy. I mean, you can’t beat it.”"
The Cowboys, however, need to work out a deal with their quarterback first, as Dak Prescott is looking for an extension. That could be a factor in the Amari Cooper contract talks as that connection is what the Cowboys would want to keep intact – If they can afford both.
More. New England Patriots 2020 Free Agency targets: Tight end Austin Hooper. light
That’s where Cooper possibly taking less to stay in Dallas comes in, unless another team with a recent aura calls out of the blue like they did with Stephon Gilmore back in 2017.
With some cheaper options out there, including a very deep draft at the wide receiver position, inking a player like Amari Cooper would seem out of character for Bill Belichick. If he spends, it is usually on the defensive side of the football if you think about Gilmore and going back to the linebacker many Patriots fans would like to forget in Adalius Thomas.
Next. New England Patriots Rumors: Top 5 receiver targets to entice Tom Brady. dark
But, with the Tom Brady free agency sweepstakes holding free agency storylines hostage, Belichick may have no other choice but to spend some money on the offensive side of the football.
Brady throwing to a target like Amari Cooper would not only revamp the New England Patriots offense, it would help a young player like N’Keal Harry ease into a more prominent role.
If you are worried about the salary cap? Well, the Patriots have a way of making these things work, especially if they really believe in and want the player.