Cowboys Should Explore Trading for DeAndre Hopkins Before Signing Amari Cooper to Long-Term Contract

On franchise tag deadline day, the Dallas Cowboys confirmed what reports have indicated for months by tagging Dak Prescott after failing to agree to a contract extension with the 26-year-old signal caller.

Reports also maintain that the Cowboys are working to extend star wide receiver Amari Cooper, who is set to hit the open market this offseason.

Though Cooper has continuously disclosed his intentions to remain in Dallas, the organization should seriously explore trading for Houston Texans wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who may reportedly be placed on the trade block before long.

Why does this makes sense for the Cowboys? Hopkins is already locked up for the long haul. The Clemson product signed a five-year, $81 million contract back in 2017, and has three yeaars and $40 remaining on that deal. Per Spotrac, Hopkins' cap hit would be $12.5 million in 2020, $13.5 million in 2021, and $13.9 mil in 2022. All told, this is a steal of a price for arguably the best pass-catcher in the game.

Extending Cooper would surely cost Dallas far, far more, as the market for wideouts has since been reset after the likes of Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, Odell Beckham Jr, Mike Evans, and Tyreek Hill all inked agreements with their respective franchises for massive money.

Putting finances aside, Hopkins is more talented and established than Cooper. He's also more durable than the former Alabama star. And that's no disrespect to Coop. Nuk is just a different breed of phenomenal.

From all angles, the Cowboys would be better off pursuing a trade for Hopkins before signing Cooper to a long-term contract. Doing your due diligence and checking in with a polite phone call absolutely wouldn't hurt, and the potential payoff could be sensational.