After days of swirling rumors around them, the Oakland Raiders have finally pulled the trigger on the trade block, shipping wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a first-round pick. Not a few people think that it was too big of an asset to give up even for a talented receiver like Cooper, but for Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, it was all he needed to hear to give the trade proposal his seal of approval, per Chris Mortensen of ESPN.
Jon Gruden on Amari Cooper deal: “”I hate to see good players go.. I was on the practice field when Reggie came to me and said 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.”
For the record, the Raiders now own three first-round picks in next year’s NFL Draft. Trading away Amari Cooper only amplifies the Raiders’ intent to sacrifice this season in order to secure pieces that they hope will be future cornerstones of the franchise. When the Raiders sent linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears earlier this month, Oakland also got a 2019 first-round pick to go with another such selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Raiders are currently wallowing in the bottom of the AFC West standings with a 1-5 record. Their odds to play football beyond Week 17 have gotten longer over the past few weeks, which partly explains why Oakland is seemingly more focused on the team’s long-term state than on their chances to take home a Vince Lombardi Trophy this season.
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