Chicago Bears Q&A: How long until a playoff run is realistic? Would Amari Cooper be a good target for the offense?

Cooper, who will turn 28 in June and is preparing for his eighth season, would be a massive upgrade for the Bears. I tend to think they would have to overpay to land him considering the state of the team’s offense. Cooper had 68 receptions for 865 yards (12.8 average) and eight touchdowns last year, only the second time in his career he was under 1,000 yards. The Cowboys signed him to a $100 million contract in 2020, but it essentially was a two-year deal because of the way the guarantees were structured. With his $20 million base salary for this season becoming guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, the Cowboys have an out. They have other talented receivers in CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, whom they reportedly are working to re-sign even though he is coming off an ACL injury. Cooper would make sense for the Bears but not at something close to the $20 million annual average he was earning with the Cowboys. You could wind up paying for past production if you believe Cooper is beyond his prime. There should be a solid market for him, so I would be a little surprised if he wound up with the Bears. But you never know.