He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver and earning unanimous All-American honors in 2014.

Midway through the 2018 season, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys and his play began to flourish again, including a 217-yard performance, and as a result, was voted to the third Pro Bowl of his career.

[4] As a junior, he missed much of the season with an injury, but still managed to be one of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater's primary targets and had 16 catches for 175 yards with four touchdowns.

He had a show-out performance at Alabama's summer camp,[5] and that quickly led to an offer from Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

He was a first-team FHSAA 8A All-State selection, as well as the number-four player on Orlando Sentinel's Florida Top 100.

[6] He was invited to play at the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game, where he had a 75-yard touchdown grab and a 93-yard punt return for a score.

[20][21] Cooper earned consensus Freshman All-American honors and was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team by the league coaches.

On November 8, 2015, Cooper passed Tim Brown's record for rookie receptions (43) in a 35–38 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[50] On December 22, 2015, Cooper was selected as an alternate for the Pro Bowl, alongside teammates Derek Carr and Latavius Murray;[51] he replaced Brandon Marshall and played.

[55] Three weeks later against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had his best game of the season with 12 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown in a 30–24 overtime road victory.

[61] However, on Thursday Night Football, in a 31–30 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, Cooper caught 11 passes for a then-career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns.

[64] In the season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, Cooper caught three receptions for 115 yards and an 87-yard touchdown in the 30–10 loss.

[66] Cooper finished the 2017 season recording career lows with 48 receptions for 680 yards but did have a career-high seven touchdowns.

[69] Two weeks later against the Seattle Seahawks in London, Cooper suffered a concussion and was knocked unconscious.

[70] On October 22, 2018, Cooper was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a first-round pick (27th overall, Johnathan Abram) in the 2019 NFL draft.

[78] In the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams, he had six receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown in the 30–22 road loss.

[79] On January 21, 2019, Cooper was added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster as an injury replacement for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas.

"[83] During the season opener against the New York Giants, Cooper caught six passes for 106 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys won by a score of 35–17.

[84] During Week 5, Cooper caught 11 passes for a career-high 226 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 34–24.

[85] During Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings, he caught 11 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys lost by a score of 28–24.

[86] During Week 14 against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football, Cooper caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in the 31–24 road loss.

[92][93][94] In the regular season opener, Cooper recorded 13 receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns in a 31–29 road loss to the Buccaneers.

[95] During a Week 8 20–16 road victory over the Vikings, Cooper caught eight passes for 122 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

[97][98] Cooper finished the 2021 regular season with 68 receptions for 865 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns (tied for the team lead) in 15 games and 14 starts.

[99][100] In the Wild Card Round against the San Francisco 49ers, Cooper had six receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown in the 23–17 loss.

[101] On January 14, 2022, Cooper was fined $14,650 by the NFL after he attended a Dallas Mavericks game without wearing a face mask, a violation of COVID-19 protocols.

He was first captivated by the game as an elementary school student in northwest Miami, and as a football player, he relates chess strategies to his play on the field.