While coach Jon Gruden probably deserves a lot of the blame for what’s gone wrong with the Oakland Raiders this season, Amari Cooper being gone is apparently not Gruden’s doing.
Cooper said on Thursday that the man who wanted him traded was not Gruden, but owner Mark Davis.
Had an interesting talk with Amari Cooper today. He said Raiders owner Mark Davis wanted to make the trade and not Jon Gruden. Teams were offering a 2020 first rounder and the Raiders were turning that down until the Cowboys came calling.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) December 13, 2018
At the time, it felt like a great move for the Raiders. Cooper was struggling. Additionally, the Cowboys were 3-4 and it looked like the first rounder acquired for him would be a good pick.
Things have changed.
Dallas is now 8-5 and is in the driver’s seat to win the NFC East. So, the pick isn’t slated to be that good. Of course, Cooper has been a huge part of the turnaround.
In six games with the Cowboys, Cooper has caught 40 passes for 642 yards with six touchdowns. He’s also helped open the offense up for other key weapons in the Dallas offense, like Ezekiel Elliott.
The Raiders still got good value compared to what was being offered. But if Cooper is correct, we wouldn’t be surprised if Davis wanted a mulligan on the decision to trade him in the first place.