The NFL is different on a year-to-year basis as players/coaches come and go. The Dallas Cowboys are no different, as they had a new coaching staff come in and made tweaks to the roster.
As Dak Prescott is back on the field and healthy, the Cowboys added Joe Milton III to the team via trade. They also have Will Grier in the fold, but they decided to let Cooper Rush walk in free agency. He signed a two-year, $6.2 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens after spending the first eight years of his career in Dallas.
Even though he's playing elsewhere, there's no bad blood with his former team after the way things ended in Dallas, when he didn't get his extra incentive bonus.
Cooper Rush says there are no hard feelings with the way things ended in Dallas, not getting his extra incentive bonus:
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 15, 2025
“No, I mean, it’s business. … I had a great time there. Awesome 8 years. I’m really close with a lot of people in that organization.” https://t.co/CZY6caLExn
Ex-Cowboys QB Cooper Rush Doesn’t Hold Resentment Against Dallas
At the end of the 2024 season, Rush was in line for a $250,000 bonus if he started the last game of the season, but the Cowboys rolled with Trey Lance instead. While that decision would have bothered a lot of people, that wasn't the case with Rush.
He said, "No, I mean, it’s business. Maybe if I played better, go out there, I don’t know. But you really don’t think about that stuff. I had a great time there. Awesome eight years. I’m really close with a lot of people in that organization, so it will be cool.”
When the Cowboys trotted Lance out there, they wanted to see what he had after they dished out a fourth-round pick to land him. In the Week 18 game against the Commanders, Lance went 20-of-34 for 244 passing yards and 26 rushing yards.
It ended up not mattering, as Lance left to join the Los Angeles Chargers anyway, and Rush missed out on an easy $250,000. That's not an easy pill to swallow, but Rush's response shows his maturity and the respect that he has for the Cowboys.
During his time with Dallas, he went 9-5 as a starter. Rush completed 60.7% of his throws for 3,463 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He's the exact QB2 that teams want to have, which is why he was around for such a long time with the Cowboys.
Regardless, all things must come to an end, and Rush will be on the opposing sideline when the Cowboys host the Ravens on Saturday.