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Jon Gruden wasn’t interested in pushing to get the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the year in Khalil Mack paid, so how about a struggling wide receiver? The Oakland Raiders sit at 1-5 entering their bye week and there have been a plethora of rumors and rumblings surrounding the team. Specifically, the future of wideout Amari Cooper, who’s been as hit-or-miss as one can imagine this year.
Over the past week, talks of the Raiders having interest in trading the 24-year-old receiver have ramped up. And part of that may have to do with the reported contract he’s seeking ahead of his fifth-year rookie option.
As Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports detailed (h/t Raiders Beat), Cooper is looking to become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.
“As one league source framed it Sunday, if the Raiders were open to dealing the best player on their roster – Mack – anyone outside of Carr is subject to being moved,”. Robinson reported. “Especially if a player is coming up for a contract extension and doesn’t appear to be worth the kind of money he’ll seek. Which would explain the “pocket listed” availability of [Amari] Cooper, who, despite having an up-and-down season, is expected to seek a massive contract extension this offseason. One that undoubtedly puts him in the realm of the league’s highest-paid wide receivers – a bracket that sits somewhere between $15 million-$18 million per season.”
That is a huge chunk of change for a player who’s been as inconsistent as Cooper has over the past two seasons.
Amari Cooper’s Outlook and Struggles
The Raiders wideout is set to make $13.9 million on his fifth-year option and based on production, that may even be too much. Cooper has two games this season with over 100 receiving yards, in those two spots he’s combined for 18 receptions, 244 yards and one touchdown. In the other four games, Cooper has totaled four receptions for 36 yards.
That’s brutal to look at, and the fact that the former No. 4 pick only had two games over 100 receiving yards last season also doesn’t bode well for him to land top-tier wide receiver money. Cooper had the same number of games with single-digit receiving yards (five) as outings with 50-plus yards.
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