"That defense ought to have to honor Amari Cooper"- Jerry Jones expresses his frustration with star Cowboys WR
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has never had an issue letting out his frustration, especially in regards to a disappointing season.
Last Friday, Jones went on 105.3 The Fan and was interviewed about the conclusion of the team's season. One quote that stuck out, in particular, was what Jones said about Cooper.
"That defense ought to have to honor Amari Cooper," said Jones.
While Jones did have a few positives from the interview, like giving praise to quarterback Dak Prescott and his coordinators, Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore, he mainly discussed his frustration with the disappointing season for Dallas and Cooper.
The latest target in the rant: Cowboys star receiver Amari Cooper. Jones didn't hide the frustration that he had with Cooper and didn't hold back with his comments.
When asked about Cooper's contract, Jones responded by in the following manner:
"I don't have any comment on Cooper's contract."
Jerry Jones: “Amari Cooper should take half the field w/ him when he runs a route…a whole bunch of that defense ought to have to honor Cooper. He ought to be able to catch it in the middle when they’re going w/ him. Others do. You throw to people that are covered all the time.”
"I thought that the way we were playing early when we did make something happen, I thought Cooper had a big part of it," Jones continued. "And I'm not being trite. But how he fits in, he should take half the field with him when he runs a route. Not half — half is an exaggeration, of course, but a whole bunch of that defense should have to honor Cooper."
Jones' comment wasn't directly a shot at Cooper, but rather more of a sentiment of disappointment that he didn't produce as much as he should have. He did have a touchdown in the divisional loss to the 49ers, but only recorded six catches for 64 yards.
Amari Cooper had a drop in production last season
Cooper started to lose production as the season went on. In the last nine games of the season, Cooper averaged just four receptions and 48.2 receiving yards per game, and only scored four touchdowns.
He was certainly not as productive this season as he was in previous seasons. In his last two seasons with Dallas before the 2021 season, Cooper put up big numbers.
In 2019, Cooper amassed 79 receptions for 1,1189 yards, and eight receiving touchdowns. In 2020, he totaled 92 receptions for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns.
This season, Cooper only caught 68 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns — a significant drop in production compared to the previous two seasons.
The Cowboys could move on from Amari Cooper
Following a down-year, the Cowboys could potentially move on from Cooper. He carries a cap hit of $22 million next season; and they have younger, cheaper receivers on their roster such as CeeDee Lamb, Cedrick Wilson and pending free-agent Michael Gallup.
The former University of Alabama standout signed a five-year $100 million contract with the Cowboys in 2020.
The Dallas Cowboys Amari Cooper, Seattle Seahawks DK Metcalf, and Falcons Calvin Ridley are likely to be traded in the offseason per @CBSSports