Bengals Legend Chad Johnson Drops a Dime on Amari Cooper Release: “This Is The Business & How They Get You Off The Books”

Published 03/05/2022, 7:00 AM EST

Former NFL WR Chad Johnson recently had his say on the Dallas Cowboys-Amari Cooper situation. The Cowboys had signed Cooper to a 5-year, $100 million deal in 2020 but might be looking to trigger an escape clause in his contract. His status with the franchise has been in doubt, since their disappointing Wild Card round loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

Johnson believes Cooper is being sacrificed for the benefit of the franchise as it will help them clear out almost $16 million in salary-cap space. He argues that the WR was still producing decent numbers considering how less he was a target for catches last season.

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Cooper only ended up recording 68 catches for 865 yards and 8 TDs in a supposed down year of his Dallas tenure.

While tagging a Twitter user, Johnson states, “The touches decreased so they can say the production wasn’t worthy of the salary, nothing wrong w/ Amari...” The 6-time Pro Bowler Johnson seems to think of this as an attempt by the franchise to retain some portions of their roster.

The Cowboys look to move on from Amari Cooper

The split between the Cowboys and Cooper always seemed to be happening as the franchise Executive Vice President Stephen Jones was non-committal about him. There were questions raised about if he was giving any true value for his $20 million a year contract. But Cooper’s departure will also mean CeeDee Lamb will be the only remaining WR on the roster while others are all slated to be free agents.

Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Gives Brutal Verdict on WR Amari Cooper: ‘He Should Take Half the Field With Him When He Runs a Route’

The franchise remains $13 million above the salary cap amid concerns about filling the empty slots. They might look to re-sign Michael Gallup with the money they free up by trading or releasing Cooper. They could use it to keep Gallup as a backup for Lamb.

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The release of their intentions to move Cooper away by trade seems to be a call to any franchisee who wants to give up money or assets.

The touches decreased so they can say the production wasn’t worthy of the salary, nothing wrong w/ Amari but this is the business & how they get you off the books. https://t.co/2az6QtaiDG
— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) March 4, 2022

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While the Cowboys hope to improve their salary cap by moving his contract, they lose depth in the WR position. While Cooper is a good WR, last season might raise the eyebrows of potential buyers in the market. The Cowboys Nation might be hoping that this situation sees some resolution in the upcoming two weeks.

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An NFL author at EssentiallySports, Anuj Tazhatuveetil is pursuing a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Initially, he worked as a freelance content writer and later as a part of Sports404. An unquenchable thirst to learn about all things NFL and NBA, adding to a rather healthy obsession with playing outdoor sports like basketball, and soccer with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of this industry make him a sports aficionado.

Bengals Legend Chad Johnson Drops a Dime on Amari Cooper Release: “This Is The Business & How They Get You Off The Books”

The Cowboys look to move on from Amari Cooper

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