NFL Free Agency Alert: Cooper Stays in Dallas, Stefon Diggs to Buffalo

What a day it was in the NFL, and what a start of the free agency did we just saw. Dallas signed with Amari Cooper; Buffalo Bills acquired Stefon Diggs, Marcus Mariota ended in Las Vegas, while Miami Dolphins splashed the cash for their defense.

Cowboys Keeping Cooper

After placing an exclusive franchise tag on Dak Prescott, the Cowboys reportedly closed one more job. Amari Coope, the No.1 wide receiver of the team, will sign a five-year $100 million deal, which will be a massive step forward for Dallas in keeping the core of the team and increasing the chances for winning the long-awaited Super Bowl.

Here’s a twist: the Washington Redskins pursued Amari Cooper today and tried to pry him away. Dallas prevailed. https://t.co/DNuD48VV0B

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2020

The organization had to react fast after tagging Prescott, and as a result, Cooper became the highest-paid WR behind Falcons’ Julio Jones, who has an average annual salary of $22 million.

The pressure on Jerry Jones and the rest of the organization increased once the news about Redskins’ pursuit of Cooper broke out. Earlier, the player did express his wish to stay in Arlington and to continue playing alongside Prescott and Elliot.

Stefon Diggs Landed in Buffalo

The possibility of seeing Tom Brady of leaving the Pats increased the ambitions of other teams in the AFC East. Buffalo Bills, who had a major breakthrough during the previous campaign, will definitely challenge New England next year, regardless of the fact whether they have Brady or not.

Stefon Diggs arrived in town in exchange for four picks, which headed for Minneapolis. First-round, fifth-round, and sixth-rounder from 2020 draft and fourth-round from the 2021 draft. The Bills will get a seventh-rounder for the upcoming draft in Las Vegas.

The wide receiver wasn’t happy in Minnesota for quite some time, and he already had a couple of problematic periods there. During the previous season, he was even fined $200,000 after skipping team practices and meetings. He also didn’t have a good relationship with the team’s quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Vikes didn’t plan on trading the player at a time, but eventually, they had to give up on one of the best WRs in the league.

He will soon start the third of his five-year deal worth $72 million.

Mariota Becomes Carr’s Backup

The former Heisman Trophy winner and the No.2 pick will continue his career in Las Vegas. Mariota reportedly agreed with the Raiders to move to Nevada and be the No.2 quarterback on their depth chart behind Derek Carr. There were no further details about the deal.

This comes as a bit of a surprise for all the fans, as many believed that the former Titans’ QB might be looking for a job with him as a starter. It is no secret that Jon Gruden has a high opinion of Mariota, but him accepting to be a backup was strange for many.

Randall Cobb to Houston

After trading DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona, the Texans had to react fast and cover up the big gap, which left behind one of the best WRs in the past decade. The franchise from Houston signed Randall Cobb, who will spend the next three years with the Texans and earn $27 million. $18.75 million is guaranteed.

The 30-year old played the previous season in Dallas, and posted 828 yards in 55 passes and three touchdowns, with 15.1 yards per catch. Cobb was one of the top weapons for Aaron Rodgers in the past, as he spent eight seasons in Green Bay recording 41 touchdowns and 5,524 yards on 470 catches.