Amari Cooper traded to the Cowboys

[George Liquor]

Wtf are the Raiders doing?

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

So here's an interesting thought that I pondered as I was watching Cooper be average as hell last night.

I think we all kinda view Sammy Watkins deal as a 2 year contract with the overwhelming odds being that he doesn't see that 3rd year at $20+ million on the cap. But the Chiefs structured that deal in a way that would make it VERY appealing in trade.

If they cut him, $7 million in signing bonus hits their cap that last season because they put a SHITLOAD of his deal into bonus. His base salary in that final year is only $13.75 million. I mean I say 'only' but that's actually very reasonable for teams looking for a potential WR1. He'll still only be 27 yrs old heading into that season. We essentially absorb 1/3 of his cap hit and now a potential WR1 can be had for a team via trade with a really reasonable single season cap hit of a tick under $14 million.

Now I'm not saying we'll get a 1 for him, but there's a real chance we could get a 3 and I would think a 2 isn't impossible if he stays productive over the next season+.

If we're gonna cut him in that third season anyway, the amount of accelerated bonus onto our cap is irrelevant. So if we can trade him instead (and we really should be able to), there's a way to recapture some draft capital that could help offset the cap hit. It makes that contract all the more palatable given that we're getting him well under market this season.

Great point.

Posted this in the draft page, but look at our team. Reiter is a good backup. So is Devey. Wylie is also here another year if they so choose. Jeff Allen could easily stay and they love McKenzie.

OL doesn’t need a high pick this year and they used an entire draft on defense. I think our 2ns from Peters is a luxury item which could be used as another cheap weapon at WR or TE.

Makes sense with your post.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by carlos3652

Who gave him that contract?

Veach.

I'd imagine the heavy bonus was in large part because he had to. The Cowboys were clearly desperate and if the Chiefs were offering similar overall dollars but no #1 WR role, the way to close that deal was a shitload of up front cash. Writing the guy a check for $21 million and guaranteeing his 2019 salary pretty much closed bidding.

But he MIGHT have also known that it would make him tradeable in year 3. And if so, damn that's some good long-term planning.

[Buehler445]

Good thoughts DJ. So I usually get this stuff wrong, but what are the chances someone wants him to be their WR1?

Looks to me like he’s equating himself well here, good routes downright tough with the ball hasn’t dropped anything as far as I can remember but he’s also not getting the ball in traffic or going up against the best CB because Hill does Hill things.

I would think there would be a line of teams looking to make him their guy but I always misread this. What do the people smarter than me think?

[rabblerouser]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Surely they will flip that cap and some picks into trades, right? Didn’t they have this same deal a few years ago and had to give some shitty FB a massive contract to meet the floor?



Yeah, he wasn’t fully damaged until Gruden Rolled in. Del Rio of all ****s couldn’t break him. Gruden did it in 4 games.


Simms wasn’t awful. Until Gruden deaded him.

Simms talks freely about how Gruden basically ruined his career.

[Red Dawg]

Cowboys are damn stupid. Jones is damn football stupid. Trade a 1 pick for a run of mill WR? If he can't see that Dak is boring and not good enough he's really getting old. They will los 9 games and have no 1st rounder. Well done.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Good thoughts DJ. So I usually get this stuff wrong, but what are the chances someone wants him to be their WR1?

Looks to me like he’s equating himself well here, good routes downright tough with the ball hasn’t dropped anything as far as I can remember but he’s also not getting the ball in traffic or going up against the best CB because Hill does Hill things.

I would think there would be a line of teams looking to make him their guy but I always misread this. What do the people smarter than me think?

Who's the most popular guy on bad teams? The backup QB. And it's not because fans think he's great, it's because they don't KNOW that he sucks.

Now you have to squint and it takes a bit of a wrinkle, but that same thought process could easily apply here. When there are a slew of WRs available in FA or via trade, you can go take a look at guys who have been mediocre top options on mediocre teams and KNOW they aren't going to ascend to #1 guys. Or you can look at a guy that's been a damn productive #2 on a good team and think he MIGHT be able to be a #1. Now with Watkins you also have the flashes of greatness he showed while a true #1 in Buffalo, not to mention the athletic ability and premier hands that just come flying off the screen when you watch him play. And pedigree sticks around awhile as well.

Teams will always see someone like Alvin Harper and drool about what he COULD be. They'll do that with Watkins. Hell, the fact that the Chiefs had to pay the guy like a #1 to get him supports that - the market was willing to pay him like a #1 guy. And if he comes here and puts him 900+ yards/season while making key catches as the #2....well that's only going to encourage that way of thinking.

Like I said - I wouldn't expect a first rounder; that deal was shockingly stupid. But a 2nd is possible and a 3rd is eminently doable. There are a lot of young QBs in the league right now and lets say you're the Cardinals or Browns or even Jets and in 2 years you have a lot of cap but not a ton of FAs kicking your door down. A younger veteran WR with #1 skills and a top 10 pick pedigree who's shown significant productivity would be worth slinging a 3rd out there for. Those teams will be getting closer and closer to nut-cutting time with their QBs and they need to know what they have. A veteran WR will help them learn that a lot faster than that draft pick can and that's the most critical question they have to answer going forward.