Amari Cooper is on his way to Big D.
The Oakland Raiders agreed to trade the fourth-year wide receiver to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a first-round pick. It ends near-constant speculation in recent weeks that Cooper’s days in Oakland were numbered.
The #Cowboys are sending a first-round pick to the #Raiders for WR Amari Cooper, source said. Big move for Dallas.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 22, 2018
Amari Cooper Traded to Dallas Cowboys
Cooper is the second high profile player Jon Gruden has shipped out of Oakland in his desire to remake the Raiders in his own image. Before the start of the season, the Raiders traded Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a new deal for the All-Pro edge rusher.
Both moves are certainly geared towards building for the future. As a result of Cooper’s departure, the Raiders now have three picks in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Considering they currently stand at 1-5, it’s possible that at least one of them ends up coming very early.
Dealing Cooper to Dallas also clears a significant amount of cap space off Oakland books for next season. The Cowboys are assuming his fifth-year option which will pay him $13.9 million in 2019. As a result, the Raiders now have $74.7 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com.
Cooper burst onto the scene after the Raiders took him fourth overall in the 2015 draft. He totaled 1,070 yards and caught six touchdown passes for a team that went 7-9 and looked to be on the cusp of competitiveness. That turned out to be the case a year later when Oakland finished the 2016 season with a 12-4 record, clinching their first playoff berth since 2002. Cooper tallied five touchdown catches that year while finishing eighth in the league with 1,153 receiving yards.
It led to Cooper earning Pro Bowl honors in both seasons.
But the Alabama product took a bit of a step back last season. Though he registered seven touchdown grabs, his production was sporadic at best. He exceeded 100 yards receiving just twice, and nearly a third of his yardage for the season came in a Thursday night shootout with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week Seven.
That volatility in production continued in 2018. Cooper did exceed the 100-yard mark in games against the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns. But in the Raiders other four contests, he managed a paltry 36 yards with no touchdowns. It includes a goose egg in what will go down in his final appearance in a Raiders uniform, a 27-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in London.
Cooper will hope to revive his career as the showpiece of a Cowboys receiving corps that includes slot receiver Cole Beasley and rookie Michael Gallup. In theory, he provides a big-bodied target for third-year signal caller Dak Prescott that could help supercharge a unit which ranks 27th league-wide in receiving yards. Of course, time will tell if he can justify what Dallas gave away for him.
