Add another receiver to the list of potential free agent targets for the Lions: Amari Cooper.
The Cowboys reportedly plan to release the four-time Pro Bowler and his $20 million salary before the start of the new league year March 16, a move that will save Dallas $54 million against the cap over the next three seasons.
Which means a deep class of free agent receivers is about to get deeper. Which means the Lions chose a good year to be seeking a 'weapon on the perimeter,' as Dan Campbell said this week. Which means Cooper, almost surely, is on Detroit's radar.
Should the Lions take a run at him?
They have the need. They have the cap space. The question, aside from the cost, is whether they have the appeal to a player who spent the past four seasons in the spotlight on a (mostly) competitive team catching passes from one of the most prolific quarterbacks in football. (Say what you want about Dak Prescott, but he's thrown for the second most yards per game in the NFL since 2018.)
But if they can get Cooper's attention, he's certainly worth a look. Is he still worth $20 million? Not according to the Cowboys. But Cooper is just 27 years old, turning 28 in June, with more yards (3,168) and more touchdowns (21) in the last three seasons than all but 10 receivers in the NFL.
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When Lions WR coach Antwaan Randle El said this offseason he wants the team to add a 'playmaker' on the outside, Cooper is the sort of talent who comes to mind. At 6'1, he might not have the size the Lions are looking for, but does have speed and the ability to stretch the field. Detroit's best vertical threat last season was ... Josh Reynolds, a pending free agent himself.
Brad Holmes and the Lions will surely add a receiver or two in the draft, where they have three of the first 34 picks and five in the top 100. USC's Drake London, Arkansas' Treylon Burks and Alabama's Jameson Williams headline maybe the most talented class of pass-catchers ever, without mentioning the Ohio State duo of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. They are younger, cheaper alternatives to a high-profile free agent like Cooper.
They could also be younger, cheaper complements. Randle El, after all, isn't just asking the front office for one receiver. He's asking for three, preferably two in the draft and one in free agency. If the Lions check the latter box later this month, they'll enter the draft knowing exactly what kind of receiver(s) they need. The best deep threat on the open market is the 6'4 Mike Williams, who's coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Chargers. D.J. Chark and Allen Robinson could draw Detroit's interest as well.
Again, what's the cost? And what's the tax, if any, of bringing a star player to a
a mid-market team with a long history of losing, including four straight last-place finishes? That fact alone might take the Lions out of the running for Cooper, as it probably does with someone like Chris Godwin who spent the past two seasons chasing Super Bowls with Tom Brady and the Bucs. Come to think of it, a more realistic target for Detroit might be Cooper's teammate Michael Gallup, if he indeed makes it to market.
Cooper is headed there March 16. And then we'll see where he's headed next. Detroit is a long shot, no doubt. But as Holmes takes the Lions into the 'player acquisition phase' of the rebuild, the five-time 1,000-yard receiver is at least worth a call.