Louisiana-Texas Rivalry Heats Up Off-Field: Saints, Cowboys Eye Amari Cooper

There could be a big free agency bidding war brewing between two NFL team that, are essentially, neighbors.

The New Orleans Saints (in Louisiana) and Dallas Cowboys (in Texas) not only share a state border, but their TV markets overlap, which causes a pretty good mix of fanbases. Maybe not as much in the Dallas metroplex, or in the greater New Orleans area, but in North Louisiana, especially Shreveport, this causes a big mixed bag of fans. Usually this shows up big when the two teams faceoff on the field, so lets see what the fan-level rivalry looks like if they're both competing for the same free agent.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper is on the free agent market, as is reportedly drawing interest from both the Cowboys and Saints.

Could Amari Cooper Sign With The Dallas Cowboys?

Cooper is a 5-time Pro Bowl selection, who has gathered over 10,000 receiving yards and 64 touchdowns in his career. Nearly 4,000 of those yards were accumulated for the Cowboys franchise.

During his NFL career, Cooper has played more games for the Cowboys than any other franchise. In his 10 years, he's played 154 games, and 56 of them were for the Dallas Cowboys. That was over 4 seasons in Dallas, which is the same amount of seasons he spent at the start of his career with the Oakland (yes, he was there before Las Vegas) Raiders. But while he was with the Raiders, he only appeared in 52 games, 4 less than his Cowboys career.

But Cooper could add to that number of Cowboys games. Because numerous reports have surfaced that there is "mutual interest" between Cooper and the Cowboys to come back together. The Cowboys are working to clear up some cap space, and many believe it will be for offensive weapons.

Could Amari Cooper Sign With The New Orleans Saints?

Just to the East, there's another franchise doing the same thing...clearing cap space with the assumed intent it will be for offensive help. The New Orleans Saints have a new Head Coach, Kellen Moore, who is an offensive coach. While the team does have offensive weapons like Alvin Kamara on the roster, they clearly need some help.

Its still unknown if Derek Carr will be able to play in 2025, due to his shoulder injury. If Carr can't start, do the Saints turn to Spencer Rattler again? Or will they turn things over to Second Round Draft Pick Tyler Shough?

Whoever the quarterback is for the Saints. They will need someone to throw to.

The best receiver for the Saints is Chris Olave. But he's been struggling to stay healthy for a few years. He hasn't been "fully healthy" since 2023. He was only able to play in 8 games last year.

There's already been one free agent signing for the Saints receiver depth chart this offseason. The team is bringing back one of their former First Round picks Brandin Cooks.

Cooks spent the first 3 years of his NFL career in New Orleans, reaching 1,000 yards twice. he's gone on to play for 4 other franchises, and is now returning to the Saints.

Outside of those two, the Saints are hoping Rashid Shaheed can build on the flashes he showed in 2024, or that they can hit a lotto ticket with someone like Moochie Dixon.

But this lack of consistency, or clear-cut production, with the Saints receiver depth chart is exactly why the Saints are considering someone like Amari Cooper. However, knowing that it could be a bidding war, the Saints might not have the fire power to land Cooper.

Amari Cooper Free Agency Rumors

There are more than just two teams in a tug-of-war for Amari Cooper's services. Teams like the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, and Buffalo Bills (his most recent team) have all been linked to Cooper in reports.

It's really going to depend on what Cooper is looking for. If he's hoping for a chance to win a ring, the Eagles and Bills are the frontrunners. If he's looking for money, the Arizona Cardinals have the 3rd most salary cap space in the NFL, so they could likely make him the highest offer.

Just to keep that salary cap part of the conversation in mind...the Saints have the 2nd LOWEST amount of salary cap space.