FRISCO - It's a juicy and troublesome story that suggests big problems in the contract extension talks between Amari Cooper and the Dallas Cowboys. The juicy and troublesome story: That the receiver's "contract demands were deemed shockingly high'' by the Cowboys.

But the truth is far less juicy and far less troublesome. The Cowboys are not at all shocked by Cooper's contract proposal. And why not?

"Because,'' said a source close to the negotiations, "the Cowboys have not yet received a contract proposal from Amari Cooper.''

Oh.

A second source close to the negotiations tells me that Cooper's side is aware that Dallas COO Stephen Jones and company are open to continuing the conversations in a way that would lock up the Pro Bowler under the terms of a long-term deal that will lessen his present cap impact (he's in the final year of a contract that he brings over from having been traded by the Raiders last October that presently counts $13.9 million). But the details of such a deal are still left entirely to educated-guesswork. We've talked a lot about a deal that might pay $16 million annually. We do so in part because a year ago, Dallas made a free-agent bid on Sammy Watkins -- a lesser player than Cooper -- and offered $16 mil a year. We also do so because the ceiling on NFL receiver pay is right above that. Antonio Brown's deal in Oakland averages $16.7 million; that would be the number to beat, unless it is Cooper's desire to surpass the Browns' deal with Odell Beckham.

Beckham's contract pays him an average of $18 million per season. We can argue: If Cooper was to ask $18 million a year, would that be "shockingly high''? Or would be a sensibly lofty goal?

But those are moot points -- because Cooper hasn't "demanded'' he be paid like Beckham and he hasn't "demanded'' he be paid like Brown. He's not demanded those things because he's not demanded anything.

One involved source, reflecting on the mistaken report, grumbled, "Why is there no (journalistic) accountability here?'' It's a similar complaint as the one that emerged during the team's eventually-successful negotiations with DeMarcus Lawrence, during which one media outlet reported a Tank "contract demand'' that was actually $1 million per year higher than anything that was ever discussed between agent David Canter and the Cowboys. Those involved tell me that screw-up temporarily gummed-up the works in those talks.

Cowboys Nation obviously hopes that doesn't happen again here.

At least there is certainly a sense of shared confidence here. “I really don’t think about it much,'' Cooper said recently. "I feel like we have time. … I feel like they’re active about it and they want to get it done.”

And Stephen? He said on Wednesday that talks with Prescott and Cooper are "off and running,'' and added, “I feel very good that we’re going to strategically work through getting guys like Dak and Amari and Zeke done. And I think we can still do others.”

But the Cowboys can't get Amari Cooper done, obviously, until they agree on a contract. And they can't agree on a contract until Amari Cooper's side submits a contract proposal. And there is no "shockingly high'' proposal from him because there is, to this moment, no proposal at all.