Tuesday 17 March 2020 09:38, UK
The Dallas Cowboys retained both of their key offensive free agents on Monday, reportedly agreeing to a deal with wide receiver Amari Cooper after placing the exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Dak Prescott.
Multiple media outlets reported that Cooper landed a five-year, $100m deal. He is guaranteed at least $60m, according to ESPN.com and NFL.com.
CowboysSI.com reported that Cooper turned down more lucrative offers from other teams. Even so, the $20m average annual value of his deal leaves him level with the Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones for the highest among wide receivers.
Cooper, 25, has topped 1,000 receiving yards in four of his five NFL seasons.
Last year, he posted career highs of 1,189 receiving yards and eight touchdowns while making 79 catches.
He arrived in Dallas at midseason in 2018 after a trade that saw Dallas send the then-Oakland Raiders a 2019 first-round draft pick.
Cooper, a first-round draft choice of the Raiders (fourth overall) out of Alabama in 2015, has appeared in 77 of a possible 80 NFL games, making 72 starts. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times.
Earlier on Monday, Prescott became the lone NFL player given the exclusive franchise tag, putting him in line for a one-year salary of about $33m.
He reportedly turned down a three-year, $105m offer that, when bonuses are factored in, could have exceeded the total annual average value of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson's deal ($35m).
The Cowboys are set to lose one of their key defensive free agents.
Byron Jones has agreed to a five-year contract worth more than $76.5m with the Miami Dolphins, which will make him the NFL's highest-paid cornerback.
Jones has only two career interceptions and none since 2017, but he has missed just one game in his five NFL seasons, all with Dallas. He was a first-round pick by the Cowboys in 2015 and made the Pro Bowl in 2018.
