Jon Gruden may not be willing to admit to it, but the rumors and talks of a potential Amari Cooper trade for the Oakland Raiders are still looming. And over the past two days, they’ve only picked up steam. Most recently, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport broke down the reports and offered up some intriguing insight on the topic.
Just one day after Gruden shut down the rumblings following the team’s a 27-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Rapoport said the team has had “some conversations” about trading Cooper. He also revealed that the Raiders have a high asking price for the 24-year-old.
“My understanding is that they [Raiders] have asked for a first-round pick in exchange for Amari Cooper, which seems incredibly significant and might make it difficult if not impossible to trade him.” Rapoport stated.
Jon Gruden’s Comments on Amari Cooper Trade Rumors
While the reports that the Raiders were considering moving Cooper, along with a few other players ramped up ahead of Sunday’s game in London, Gruden was quick to push them aside. As Matt Schneidman of the Bay Area News Group revealed, Gruden denied having heard that after Week 6.
Gruden asked about report Raiders are shopping Amari Cooper: “I don’t know. No, I haven’t heard that. I’m not. I’m not. I just hope he’s OK.”
It’s tough to gauge where things actually stand, especially after fans saw Gruden spend the offseason vowing to get Khalil Mack back prior to the season. Not only did that not play out, but the Raiders eventually traded their star pass-rusher to the Chicago Bears.
Based on what we’ve seen and heard, the focus for the 1-5 Raiders may be more on overhauling the roster so the coaching staff can get their own players in. And with this rumor, it could result in Oakland no longer having a clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, or any reliable options aside from Jordy Nelson, who’s under contract through 2019.
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Report: Raiders’ Asking Price in Trade for WR Amari Cooper Revealed