Pre-draft talk turns to players on roster
Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie made sure not to tip his hand at his pre-draft news conference Friday — either about players he hopes to draft or several already on his roster.
McKenzie sidestepped the question a bit when asked whether the Raiders intend to exercise their fifth-year option on receiver Amari Cooper, their first-round pick in 2015. The option, which must be picked up by May 3, would secure Cooper through 2019.
“Going into the draft now, that’s where we’re focused on,” McKenzie said. “But we’ve been in contact with (Cooper’s) agent. I don’t want to put anything out there — I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, so to speak. But we like Amari.”
Cooper, the No. 4 overall pick, became the third player to record 70-plus receptions and 1,000-plus receiving yards each of his first two seasons in the NFL. He played 14 games last season amid injuries, recording 48 catches for 680 yards.
Picking up Cooper’s fifth-year option would seem a logical move for the Raiders given Cooper’s previous production and expected role in the offense under new head coach Jon Gruden.
Gruden said at the NFL combine in February that Cooper would be “the focal point of our pass offense” next season. That was before the Raiders released Michael Crabtree and added Jordy Nelson.
“I look forward to joining up with Amari Cooper,” Gruden said. “He’s got tremendous quickness. I think he’s smart. He’s versatile. He’s a gamer. He likes the bright lights. And he’ll be the headliner in our offense.”
The Raiders most recently used the fifth-year option on edge rusher Khalil Mack. Their intention might have been to sign Mack to a long-term extension before the option kicked in. But Mack remains unsigned beyond 2018 and has been absent from the first two weeks of the Raiders’ voluntary offseason program.
The Raiders have a voluntary mini-camp for returning players next week; McKenzie said he isn’t sure if Mack will attend. The team’s first mandatory workout is June 12.
“We’ve just been focusing on the draft, and the coaching staff has been focusing on these players that are here and getting ready for the mini-camp next week,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie has said negotiations would be deliberate given the money involved in an extension for Mack, the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year. A likely starting point is the six-year, $114.5 million deal edge rusher Von Miller signed with the Broncos in 2016, which at the time made Miller the league’s highest-paid defensive player.
The Raiders could also be waiting to see whether the Rams set the market with an extension for defensive tackle Aaron Donald, another member of the 2014 draft class. McKenzie, though, said Friday that Donald’s situation would not inform his process with Mack.
“We look at Khalil as his own situation,” McKenzie said. “We’re not looking at anybody else. We’re just focusing on our own guy.”
McKenzie also offered nothing new on a potential reunion with NaVorro Bowman, the Raiders’ starting middle linebacker most of last season.
“It’s no change there,” McKenzie said. “He’s still a free agent.”