NFL Rumors and Transactions: Cooper’s Deal, Colts-Niners Swap, Texans Find Hopkins Replacement, More

We are officially more than 24 hours into the “legal tampering” negotiation period and about 28 hours away from officially opening up free agency. Things are pretty lit on the open market. Let’s discuss.

  • Giddy up, Cowboys! Dallas has the framework for an agreement to keep Amari Cooper in the fold:
  • NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport adds the Cooper deal includes $60 million guaranteed. Wowzers. Top end receivers are now getting quarterback money. That’s good for business, I’m sure. It’s also good for the Cowboys, who are retaining one of the league’s top receivers. Cooper has been nails since being traded to Dallas, which has made Dak Prescott a better quarterback. With the Cooper deal all but signed, Prescott’s extension has to be coming down the pipeline … right?
  • I’ll take an educated guess that Washington’s pursuit of Cooper (per Schefter) got this deal done with Dallas. Deadlines get deals done, but so do advances from division rivals. Ultimately,  I think Washington’s pursuit got this done.
  • Meanwhile, Allen Robinson loves it:
  • I need to take some time to explore what a potential deal for Robinson would look like as this new WR market takes shape. Cooper’s contract sets a high bar, but Robinson certainly proved to be worthy of a nice raise of his own.
  • The DeAndre Hopkins trade took football by storm on Monday, but there was AN OTHER blockbuster deal that went down:
  • The Colts continue to re-work their team and bolster their defense by acquiring defensive lineman DeForest Buckner from the NFC champion 49ers. It’s a nice deal for Indy, which gets a premier defensive talent and rewards him with a large extension. When Aaron Donald is the only dude at your position making more than you, then you know you’re getting big cash.
  • A thought I’ll need to re-consider in due time: I wonder if this truly takes the Colts’ pursuit of Philip Rivers to another level. There was an avenue for the Colts to draft a QB with the 13th overall pick and give him the keys after backing up Jacoby Brissett. But without a first-round pick, it seems more logical to push for a veteran to maximize what could be a window of contention.
  • Deandre Hopkins’ replacement in Houston:
  • UGH. Just when I thought the Bears were done seeing Randall Cobb on the schedule, he signs with the Texans. Are you kidding me?
  • Thought there was a chance for an “area man returns to play for hometown team” story here, but instead he goes to Vic Fangio’s Broncos:
  • Another offensive line prospect off the board:
  • Lions cutting a tackle they signed to a FA deal he couldn’t live up to in order to sign another big money offensive tackle is curious, to be sure. At minimum, it’s very Lions-y.
  • Dang … the Bears lost BOTH of their Nicks on defense:
  • An ex-Bear finds a new home in Buffalo:
  • Speaking of ex-Bears, we’ll always have this hit:
  • Jon “Boom” Bostic. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time.
  • NIU product Jimmie Ward sets a high bar for this year’s class of free agent safeties:
  • Some more inside linebacker news:
  • I figured Nick Kwiatkoski would get a deal that settled somewhere between what Blake Martinez received from the Giants and what Cory Littleton was given from the Raiders. I think Kwiatkoski is better than Martinez, but not on the same level as Littleton. Don’t get me wrong. Kwiatkoski still secured the bag with a nice deal. But perhaps I allowed the hype around his age, upside, and potential to cloud my vision of what he could get on the open market. Not that I was alone in thinking a large heap of cash was on the horizon, but nevertheless…
  • Get healthy, good sir:
  • written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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