Former first-round draft pick sent to Dallas as latest big-name departure
It happened early in practice Monday, with a member of the Raiders’ support staff coming out to escort Amari Cooper off the practice field. “They be calling him the grim reaper,” running back Jalen Richard said. “He just came and grabbed him.” The Dallas Cowboys offered a firstround draft pick in 2019, and the Raiders ended a week’s worth of rumors and intrigue by trading a receiver coach Jon Gruden had labeled a “centerpiece” of a retooled offense. Cooper was not present in the locker room during the media window — his belongings were still in his locker. Gruden was unavailable for comment but told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen “I hate to see good players go. I was on the practice field
when (general manager Reggie McKenzie) came to me and said the Cowboys would do this for a No. 1 and I said let’s do it. We now have five No. 1 picks in the next two years so I’m excited about that.”
McKenzie said he had fielded offers for Cooper but was not interested in a deal until Dallas executive vice president Stephen Jones offered a first-round pick.
“He wanted the player, and he gave me the pick,” McKenzie said. “And that’s what it came down to.”
The Raiders at present have three first-round draft picks in 2019, their own plus one of two they received from the Chicago Bears for defensive end Khalil Mack on Sept. 1.
Cooper, 24, departs having never ascended to the heights the Raiders hoped for when they made him the No. 4 overall pick out of Alabama in 2015. With 22 receptions for 280 yards and one touchdown, Cooper is the Raiders’ third-leading receiver behind tight end Jared Cook (30 receptions, 390 yards) and running back Jalen Richard (24 receptions, 205 yards).
He leaves a legacy of being spectacular on occasion but wildly inconsistent in terms of production. Cooper had games where he repeatedly made big plays interspersed with many others where he was invisible, either not open or not an intended receiver.
“I still think he’s a first-round player. That’s why I had to get a first-round pick,” McKenzie said. “Now, he’s been inconsistent. Absolutely. But has he shown greatness? Absolutely. The consistency is something I am sure he has worked on and this guy is still a young player, you know. I think he’s going to do well in Dallas.”
Even with a handful of dropped passes, Cooper in his first two years looked on track to be a big producer, catching 72 passes for 1,070 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie and then 84 catches for 1,153 yards and five scores in 2016. Although he tailed off late in both seasons, Cooper made the Pro Bowl each time.
Cooper fell off dramatically last season with 48 receptions for 680 yards and seven scores under offensive coordinator Todd Downing and the trend continued this year with Gruden running the offense.
While top-level receivers such as Antonio Brown of Pittsburgh and Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants are targeted on approximately 30 percent of their team’s pass plays, Cooper’s rate was less than half that this
season.
Although Cooper’s work ethic was never in question, nagging injuries were a concern.
Cooper was quiet and reserved, seemingly willing to take a subordinate role without complaint.
It’s fair to speculate whether Cooper ever really connected with Gruden in terms of the receiver having an outward passion for football. Former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown was wondering the same thing during a Bay Area News Group interview last week.
“There has to be something that Gruden is seeing in Amari that’s saying, ‘I don’t know if he’s ready. I don’t know how much he wants it,’ “Brown said.
Players made themselves scarce in the open locker room session following practice. Quarterback Derek Carr will make his regular press appearance before the media today.
When asked directly if trading a player such as Cooper was a signal the organization has given up, Richard struggled for an answer.
“I don’t even know how to answer that, man,” Richard said. “But naw, if I knew how to run a team I’d be running one. I could say my opinion on a lot of things, but I don’t know what plans they have for us upstairs . . . we still got to come in here and perform on Sunday with whoever we got. Just focus in on the coach and let everybody upstairs handle what they’ve got to handle.”
Former Raiders safety and assistant coach Rod Woodson said on the NFL Network he was critical of the move he believes was made exclusively by Gruden.
“You’re getting rid of all Reggie’s guys — it’s not Reggie,” Woodson said. “This is all Jon Gruden. I’ll just say this, in the locker room as a player you can’t tell me anybody is comfortable being a player for Jon Gruden right now. Because they’re saying it doesn’t matter what I do, it doesn’t matter how good I am. It doesn’t matter how many Pro Bowls I go to, it doesn’t matter how much talent I have. He’s going to get rid of me if he doesn’t think I fit his scheme.”
McKenzie, for the first time, attempted to refute all the speculation that he was not long for the organization and insisted he and Gruden work together. He said he orchestrated the trade and that he and Gruden were on the same page.
“You know, Gruden and I, we work together very well,” McKenzie said. “Let’s make no mistake about it. Him pushing me out, that’s not happening. Me, not being able to work with Gruden, that’s furthest from the truth. OK?”