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ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted a bombshell announcement Friday when he tweeted that Amari Cooper is likely to be released by the Dallas Cowboys at the start of the new NFL year.
Speculation has run rampant of Cooper being released dating back to the Cowboys' loss to the San Fransisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones didn't quiet the speculation in recent weeks and at the NFL Draft Combine. Now we know why, as the franchise plans to move on from their star-wide receiver.
Amari Cooper's pending release will carry monumental consequences for the Cowboys organization and the NFL in general.
Why is the franchise moving on from Dak Prescott's favorite target? The answer is simple as it's the one thing that makes the world go round. Money and money alone.
Amari Cooper to be released by Cowboys due to salary cap space
The Jones family can talk all they want about Amari Cooper not stepping up in the playoffs last season. But they aren't fooling anyone in releasing the 27-year-old due to being tightly pressed against the NFL's salary cap.
With the impending release of Cooper, the Cowboys will save $16 million in salary-cap space. That is noteworthy as they currently are $21 million over the salary cap, which ranks as the third-worst cap space situation in the NFL.
The lack of cap space is more significant this offseason than any other, as the team has an excess of free agents it must re-sign.
Among those players needing new contracts are the Cowboys' second and fourth-string wide receivers, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.
Gallup has been reported to be receiving a contract extension with the impending release of Cooper. Wilson's future with the team remains unclear.
With other quality starting players like Dalton Schultz and Randy Gregory set to enter free agency as well, the Cowboys roster was unquestionably going to look different next season than they did this season.
But cutting Cooper is a puzzling move, as the Cowboys could've restructured his contract as we've seen the Green Bay Packers do throughout this offseason.
Instead, they're going to move on from Cooper, who totaled 3,893 yards and 27 touchdowns in his three seasons with Prescott.
Cooper will have no shortage of teams lining up to acquire his services. It's not every day a wide receiver in his physical prime gets released like this.
