Gruden adds to bounty of picks
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Soon after Jon Gruden arrived for his second stint as Raiders coach last winter, he called Amari Cooper a “focal point” of the offense and pointed to Khalil Mack as a reason why he came back to coaching.
Less than two months into his first season back in Oakland, both former Pro Bowl players are gone.
The Raiders returned from the bye week Monday and immediately made another big trade, dealing Cooper to the Cowboys for a 2019 first-round pick. That trade follows the one made just over a week before the start of the season that sent Mack to the Bears for a package that included two first-round picks.
Now a team that won 12 games less than two years ago and was viewed as an up-andcoming franchise with core young players such as Mack, Cooper and quarterback Derek Carr is in full-fledged rebuild mode after a 1-5 start to the season.
“It’s disappointing. Real disappointing,” general manager Reggie McKenzie said. “It was starting to get that way last year when we somewhat took a nosedive, but I understand the NFL. The system will not allow you to keep them all.”
The Raiders have three first-round picks for the first time since 1988, when they took Hall of Famer Tim Brown, five-time Pro Bowler Terry McDaniel and Scott Davis.
They have plenty of holes on the roster, as evidenced by the early-season struggles, and will look to rebuild through the draft.
“We’re building this thing in concert together. I’m talking about me and coach Gru,” general manager Reggie McKenzie said. “We’re doing this thing together. When we make a deal, I think these picks are going to help this team tremendously, bottom line. It’s something I saw as a great opportunity. We’re not tanking this season. These guys will have to step up and continue to work to win some ballgames. That will always be the case.”
The deal is the latest move to raise questions about the relationship between McKenzie and Gruden. McKenzie was kept on as GM after owner Mark Davis fired Jack Del Rio last offseason and lured Gruden back.
While McKenzie kept his title, Gruden was given a 10-year contract worth up to $100 million, making him the clear top dog in the organization. McKenzie tried to downplay that even after the team dealt away two of his recent first-round picks, and Gruden has been unwilling to give significant playing time to 2016 and ’17 first-rounders Karl Joseph and Gareon Conley.