Mariucci surprised by Cooper trade

Count Steve Mariucci among those who were surprised when the Raiders traded receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday.

“I didn’t think the Raiders, when I heard rumors about this, were going to get a No. 1 pick, I really didn’t,” Mariucci said Monday appearing on 95.7 The Game. “And the way Dallas is playing, that first-round pick is going to be relatively early, or at least in the middle of the first round. So that’s a win for the Raiders.”

We know from Mariucci’s time as head coach of Cal and the 49ers that he is an upbeat, glasshalf-full kind of guy. Most people, upon learning of the Cooper trade were surprised because it was a sure sign that the team’s rebuild would be preceded by a full-on teardown. First Khalil Mack. Now Cooper. If I was Derek Carr, I’d stop by the post office on the way home from work today and pick up a few change of address forms.

That’s the cynical side of our brain at work. Mariucci, currently an analyst for the NFL Network, is drawing from his nine years as an NFL head coach. Steve Young and Jerry Rice were injured in his first game with San Francisco. He coached Terrell Owens. He was fired after leading the 49ers from consecutive losing seasons to playoff seasons of 12-4 and 10-6. He coached the Lions for heaven’s sake. He’s seen how the sausage is made. Very little is going to surprise him.