NFL franchise tag 2020: 10 players most likely to be tagged

5. Amari Cooper

This is the first of two Cowboys to make our list, and it could well be three if Dallas could figure out a long term contract for the other tag candidate. In terms of Dallas’ priorities, the clear No. 2 on Jerry Jones’ to-do list is extending Amari Cooper.

The Cowboys were ridiculed when they traded a first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for him at the 2018 deadline, especially with Cooper in the midst of a lost year. The move to Dallas re-energized Cooper, who became a top-flight receiver again.

Cooper immediately developed chemistry with Dak Prescott, who had meandered through the first half without the departed Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. The Cowboys rode that sweet music all the way to the playoffs, and the good times continued in 2019 when Cooper posted 79 catches for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns.

Cooper is now slated to hit free agency, and what tag the Cowboys use on him will be determined by how the Prescott situation is handled. The Cowboys have to keep Prescott, and if a long term deal isn’t done by the tag deadline they will franchise Dak.

Ordinarily, that would spell the end of Cooper’s time in Dallas, but the 2020 rules give the Cowboys the opportunity to franchise Prescott and transition Cooper. The Cowboys would retain the right to match any offer sheet Cooper gets, and unless there is a poison pill clause in it that’s what should happen.