COOPER WANTS TO BE A COWBOY
Jaguars switching back to Minshew at quarterback
Dallas WR Amari Cooper says if the deal is right, he wants to resign with the team long-term.
FRISCO, Texas — Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper said if the deal is right, he wants to re-sign with the team long-term.
Cooper in the last year of his contract can become a unrestricted free agent next spring. The Cowboys could also franchise Cooper.
“I’ve enjoyed it a lot. It’s cool,” Cooper said Monday. “It just feels good to play here, to live here. I’m happy.”
On the season, Cooper has 64 catches for 971 yards with seven touchdowns. He’s produced solid numbers with the Cowboys more so than he did with the Raiders. However, he’s been targeted more at AT&T Stadium (60) than during road games (32).
“I want to be here. I just love this situation, my teammates. I just feel it’s the place for me,” Cooper said.
Cooper is seeking a contract that would place him within the top three at his position financially. The team held talks with Cooper’s agents this offseason and partly during training camp but have since stopped. Cooper would rather have contract talks resume this offseason. Yet, Cooper is happy. “Yeah, I mean I’ve approached the situation like if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said. “Obviously, I’m more productive here than I was in Oakland, so why would I want to change things?”
When asked does he want to test the market he said, “I haven’t really thought about that. I’m not going to put the cart before the horse. We’re still in the season. I haven’t given much thought to it.”
As Cooper gets closer to free agency, he also hasn’t made a decision regarding his agents. Cooper is represented by Joel Segal and Chafie Fields. Fields departed Lagardere
Sports and Entertainment to join the Wasserman Media Group as an executive vice president.
Cooper could use both agents during contract talks with the Cowboys or any other team.
“Yeah, I’m still with both,” Cooper said. “Still with both. Still talk to both.”
JAGUARS: The Mississippi Mustache is back in Jacksonville’s starting lineup.
Rookie sensation Gardner Minshew will start Sunday when the reeling Jaguars host the Los Angeles Chargers. He replaces ineffective and highly paid quarterback Nick Foles following the team’s fourth consecutive lopsided loss.
Coach Doug Marrone made the announcement Monday, one day after a 28-11 home loss to Tampa Bay in which the Jaguars (4-8) managed 242 yards, turned the ball over four times and were flagged a season-high 16 times for 125 yards. It was Jacksonville’s 18th loss in its past 24 games.
“We feel with Gardner’s mobility and elusiveness, it gives us a better chance of winning with the way we’re playing right now because we’re all not doing a good enough job,” Marrone said.
Asked whether the job would be Minshew’s for the remainder of the season, Marrone said, “We’re planning on him playing.”
It was the obvious move following Sunday’s debacle against Tampa Bay. Foles ended Jacksonville’s first three drives with turnovers that the Buccaneers turned into touchdowns. Marrone benched Foles at halftime, trailing 25-0.
Marrone said Foles handled the demotion like a pro.
“It’s brutal; it’s tough,” Marrone said. “He’s a competitor. He worked his (butt) off to come back. He’s a great pro, so he’s going to do everything he can to help us win. And at the same time, he’s got to be ready in case there’s an injury. I think the world of him. I think he’s a really good quarterback. He obviously can win in this league. But we have to have some help around him.”
Minshew, who went 4-4 as the starter while Foles recovered from a broken left collarbone suffered in the opener, rallied the team and had a chance to make it a seven-point game in the fourth quarter. But his would-be TD pass slipped through Dede Westbrook’s hands and resulted in an interception.
Minshew finished 16 of 27 passing for 147 yards, with a touchdown to Westbrook and the interception. He was sacked twice and fumbled on the team’s final play.
Foles completed 7 of 14 passes for 93 yards and was sacked three times. The 2018 Super Bowl MVP has thrown for 661 yards, with two touchdowns, two interceptions, two fumbles and eight sacks in three games since coming off injured reserve.
He doesn’t look comfortable in the pocket and playing behind a shaky offensive line highlights his lack of mobility.
“They’re part of it when you look at protections,” Marrone said. “But’s it’s really a lot of things. You’ve got to get open. You’ve got to protect. … We’ve got to be able to run the ball better. There’s a lot of things that come into it. … It’s not the way we want to be playing.”
Minshew, meanwhile, extends plays with his legs and does some of his best work while improvising. A sixth-round draft pick from Washington State, Minshew has thrown for 2,432 yards and 14 touchdowns. Turnovers have been the main issue: he has five interceptions and 12 fumbles (seven lost).
The Jaguars signed Foles to a fouryear, $88 million contract in free agency that included $50.125 million guaranteed. It made sense for them to go back to the former Philadelphia backup once he was healthy, if anything, just to see what he could do.
Switching back to Minshew could complicate the situation moving forward.
Foles’ contract pays him $15.125 million in 2020 — fully guaranteed — and he will count nearly $22 million against the salary cap. That’s a huge payout for a guy not guaranteed to be the starter. Cutting him would cost the Jaguars nearly $34 million against the cap and trading him would cost nearly $19 million.
BROWNS: Quarterback Baker Mayfield is not expected to miss any time after injuring his right hand in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh.
Mayfield played the second half with a glove helping protect and support his hand after he struck it on the facemask of Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree while throwing a deep incompletion just before halftime.
Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said Monday that he was prepared to play backup Garrett Gilbert in the second half, but X-rays taken on Mayfield at halftime were negative.
LIONS: Detroit has put rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Coach Matt Patricia announced the move Monday. The Lions took Hockenson in the first round of this year’s draft. He has caught 32 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns.
The loss of Hockenson is another blow to an offense that has been without quarterback Matthew Stafford and recently put backup quarterback Jeff Driskel on IR.
JETS: Safety Jamal Adams has a sprained left ankle that could sideline him for at least New York’s game Sunday against Miami.
Coach Adam Gase says Monday that Adams will still have an MRI exam to further evaluate the injury which happened early in the Jets’ 22-6 loss at Cincinnati.
Gase adds that it’s a “legit week-to-week” injury that the team will monitor throughout the week. Adams will likely sit out practice Wednesday, but his status is uncertain beyond that.