There are quite a few instances in the NFL where teams deal first-round picks for what they thought were talented skill players. It's a gamble that usually doesn't work out due to the value of the pick and the pressure put on the player traded, with running back Trent Richardson being a prime example of a worst-case scenario in this situation.
While there have been many Trent Richardson-esque busts in the NFL, every once in a while, trading that high draft pick ends up helping a team make the playoff push. Wide receiver Amari Cooper was exactly that for the Dallas Cowboys last season, as a change of scenery might have been exactly what the former Alabama wideout needed.
That push from Amari Cooper (53 catches for 725 and six touchdowns in nine games) helped the Cowboys reach their full potential offensively, helping to not only air out the ball, but also draw linebackers out of the box so that Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott could make plays between the tackles. This high-powered offense combined with a solid defense helped the Cowboys win the NFC East last season.
With Cooper, Elliott, and quarterback Dak Prescott, the Cowboys have a great young group of skill players to build around. As awesome as that is for their future, paying all these star players is going to be a bit challenging.
Cooper and Prescott are entering the final year of their rookie deals, while Elliott has threatened to pull a Le'Veon Bell and skip the entire 2019 season if he doesn't get a new deal soon.
In addition to Elliott demanding more money, there have been rumors that Prescott has been asking for a deal worth $40 million per year, which would make him the highest paid player in NFL history.
As talented as the trio of skill players is, affording to keep them after this season is going to be difficult, and paying all three players has been a hot topic so far this preseason. Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo voiced his opinion on the subject on CBS Sports.
“I've been asked this about 40 times today, but all three of these guys … their deals are going to get done,” Romo said on CBS Sports. “It's just fun for people to talk about what's going on, when Zeke's going to come back. But they're all great players and there's just a matter of time before they are all going to get paid.”
While Elliott and Prescott's deals have been much more talked about this offseason, Cooper's deal may be just as valuable, as Cooper's presence in the Dallas offense elevated them from decent to deadly.
Cooper's current deal is fair and affordable, as he is currently on a fifth-year option making a bit more than $13 million this season.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones can afford to get these deals done quickly, as Dallas has $67 million in cap space, which is more than enough to sign these talented players. A good chunk of that money would be well worth it for Cooper, who would be projected to catch 94 passes for 1,289 yards and 11 touchdowns should he stay at the same pace he was at last season.
Even though he would love to get paid this season, waiting on a Cooper deal would also make sense for Dallas, as focusing on Elliott and Prescott right now would lock down the team's two best players and give Dallas the star power to again help them to the playoffs.
But what makes the most logistical sense for Dallas would be to pay Cooper and Prescott now while waiting on Elliott. The not-so-durable running back with highly questionable character concerns may be out of his prime in a few short years, and the duo of Cooper and Prescott proved to be effective, averaging 80.6 yards per game together in Cooper's nine-game Dallas debut.
Advanced statistics prove that Cooper may be a top-10 talent at wideout in the league, ranking 10th in the league with an average of 8.03 adjusted yards per attempt.
As talented of a running back Elliott is, in today's NFL, it makes more sense for the Cowboys to lock up Cooper on something like a three-year, $51 million deal. Good running backs can be much cheaper these days, while the duo of Prescott and Cooper can be one of the best in the league over the next few years.
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