Should The Buccaneers Take A Look At Amari Cooper?

Tampa Bay Buccanneers Xavion Smith brought up an interesting idea the other day, and many scoffed at him as many normally do. Whether it was a “we want them all” kind of thing that made him blurt out this particular ideal or some other type of insight, one does have to sit back and think about it. It is that time of year, you know. So let’s have some fun!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are faced with a scary set of circumstances. the Bucs have 26 unrestricted free agents, a small amount of cap space, and of those 26 free agents, close to half of them are starters, and a few of them can be starters elsewhere in this league. Jason Licht and Bruce Arians certainly have their priorities down pat and will bust their humps in attempting to bring back those they deem “must-haves”. Not everyone will be back, this is a certainty, and others will be ones the team believes to be guys they can replace. It’s a tough job.

I will highlight one of the scenarios which brought me to mention Xavion Smith in the first place. Wide Receiver. Licht and Arians have made it perfectly clear that Chris Godwin is one of those players listed as a high priority and one of those players they do not want hitting free agency. The team can tag Godwin again and pay him over $19 million for the season; however, on March 1st, Pewter Report tweeted out that the veteran receiver is going to stay with the Buccaneers with a new deal. It would be a win-win situation if the Buccaneers and Godwin can agree to terms

But what if they can’t?

Xavion Smith made a post in which he stated that the Dallas Cowboys are likely to be a cap casualty and released in the very near future. Adam Schefter said it is very likely that America’s football team will release Cooper by the 16th, freeing up $16 million. Zeke’s ridiculously high contract is likely the culprit. The Buccaneers are not likely to be without their wide receiver Chris Godwin, but if they are, then why not try to reach out and grab another set of capable hands?

Amari Cooper, in 7 seasons, has made the Pro Bowl 6 times and recorded 1,000 yards 5 times in those 7 seasons. Of course, the first thing out of anyone’s mouth is the fact that Cooper is likely to get paid a lot more money than Chris Godwin, but if things do not pan out with Godwin, I do not see why it would be such a terrible idea to go after Amari Cooper. Another report had surfaced that The Cowboys will first attempt to trade Cooper before possibly releasing him so the Buccaneers could get him for something reasonable. I don’t pretend to know what a good trade is in the eyes of the Dallas Cowboys or the Buccaneers, but I would certainly try throwing a 4th round pick at them and see if they bite.

I would definitely not go all-in on a Cooper, and no one should because this year’s Draft has its fair share of receivers to be had. I know many are reading this and already thinking, “why would the Bucs go after Cooper if the Draft has so many receivers for the picking?” If the Buccaneers are going to ride it out with Trask and Gabbert, wouldn’t you want another ridiculously talented set of hands out there for them? I don’t know, maybe that’s just me.