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A new deal for Amari Cooper shouldn’t be a slam dunk 

Bill Williamson by Bill Williamson
February 26, 2018
in Raiders
7
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Earlier this week, my partner, Steve Corkran, looked at Miami putting the franchise tag (at the whopping price of $16 million) on wide receiver Jarvis Landry and how it could eventually cost the Raiders with Amari Cooper.

As Steve and I often respectfully do, my opinion differs on this one. I don’t necessarily think the Raiders should be thinking about Cooper in terms of a long-term deal. Not yet, at least. Cooper first must prove himself to old/new Oakland coach Jon Gruden.

Landry has earned himself a new deal. Cooper has not, and it could be interesting this May to see how the Raiders react.

Like all 2015 first-round picks, Cooper – the No. 4 pick of that draft – Cooper will be subject to a fifth-year option. Teams face a May deadline on whether they will exercise Cooper’s 2019 option year. If not, Cooper can be a free agent after this season. The Raiders easily exercised Khalil Mack’s 2018 option last May. Mack is s superstar. It was a no-brainer decision.

The Cooper decision shouldn’t be that easy. Why? He’s struggled much of his first three seasons. We all know the Cooper story. He was great in the first half of his rookie season and he was great in the first half of his second season. He swooned in the second half of both of those seasons. He was maddeningly inconsistent the entire 2017 season. He dropped way too many passes and he disappeared often. Cooper’s numbers in 2017 were this: 48 catches, 680 yards and seven touchdowns. He had two games in which he surpassed 100 yards. He did have his moments. But he was pretty blah most of the season, adding to the worrisome slumps he had to end his first two seasons.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said Cooper was hurt all last season. But Cooper never appeared on any injury reports. It seems like a lot of excuses have been made for Cooper.

There is no doubt, the Alabama product can be a productive NFL player. He has made plays and he will turn 24 in June; he has a chance to be great. Also, like with Carr and his 2017 slump, common sense is that Gruden will be able to help Cooper snap out of it and find a solution to become a consistent playmaker.

But the problem is, the Raiders have to make the Cooper fifth-year option decision way before the seasons. If they do exercise the option, Cooper will have to be made the average of the top 10 receivers in the NFL. In other words, the dude wild be pricey. With Carr’s deal, an expected long-term deal for Mack and other costly deals, carrying Cooper at a big number may be a lot for Oakland to justify.

Now, if Oakland doesn’t exercise Cooper’s option, it doesn’t mean he will be gone after the 2018 season. They can always see how he does in Gruden’s system and then extend him. The risk is, Cooper could decide to test the market if he had a big season and if the Raiders don’t give him the franchise tag.

If Cooper flounders again, the Raiders will be happy to let Cooper walk.

If the decision were mine, I wouldn’t give Cooper the fifth-year option. I’d make him earn a new deal with some pressure and see how he responds.

 

Tags: Amari CooperJon Gruden
Bill Williamson

Bill Williamson

Bill Williamson has been a professional sports journalist for 28 years. He has covered the NFL for 22 straight years. He has been covering the Oakland Raiders for the past nine years, including seven at ESPN.com.

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Comments 7

  1. thankaveteran says:
    3 years ago

    The drops are to many and the awe inspiring catches are to few.

    He was supposed to be stronger and more dominant this season. Well………

    But I would take the 5th year option. If Gruden feels he can handle the offense that is.

    I know Gruden has watched plenty of film on Cooper by now. If Gruden sees him as someone he can mold and get top production from, its a no brainer. This way he gets 2 years with Gruden at a minimum. Then if he succeeds you can start talking about franchising him and/or paying him the huge dollars.

    As much as I love AC/DC. If Cooper cant handle the grind and being coached hard, he will be shown the door.

    Reply
  2. Michelle M. says:
    3 years ago

    I tend to agree, when does a team stop banking on potential and start demanding production? Cooper needs to get tougher, I think. He seems to be passive when it comes to fighting for catches.

    Reply
  3. Chris Tartaglia says:
    3 years ago

    I agree with Bill. No option. This is your prove it deal this year. You get paid to catch the ball. You have done it practically your whole life. You know your short comings. This is what you are being graded on. If this is the best you can produce then time to part ways. No hard feelings.

    Reply
  4. Robert Chin says:
    3 years ago

    I agree with you Bill. Inconsistent production throughout his career. Hope I’m wrong, but he needs to put together 2 solid seasons or it’s time to look for another alternative. His injury history is concerning also.

    Reply
  5. JACOB ALLEN says:
    3 years ago

    I might be optimistic but I think that a lot of Coopers problems last year stemmed from being under Todd Downings system. He produced in Alabama, he produced his rookie year, and he produced his second year. Granted he did fall off later in each of those seasons. But I think that Jon Gruden will be able to get the most out of Cooper, that’s just what good coaches do. Make him prove that he can stay healthy, that’s my big concern, and then pay him.

    Reply
  6. Terence Bortnick says:
    3 years ago

    Wrong. The kid has shown he’s elite when he’s got himself together. It’s not like he’s a bust. He has shown why he was such a high pick. So, that tells me either he’s injury prone, a head case, poorly trained or poorly coached. If he just has the genetic luck of being born to play only 8 games a year, then nothing can be done about that.

    Remember, the wheels fell off the entire roster last year, and other than Mack and Hudson (and maybe Bowman) the rest had a mediocre/subpar year. So if the entire team is subpar, that means coaching and/or chemistry was the issue.

    Bottom line is, you can’t risk letting Cooper get away or get in a spot where he has to get franchised. If he has another mediocre year in 2018, that will suck. But if he plays at 2015 and 2016 level, and he gets the proper training, he has the tools to be an all-time great for the Raiders. You don’t get many bites at the apple to get a kid like this.

    Reply
  7. Casey says:
    3 years ago

    Errros galore – love that you crank out the content but proof it first.

    I vote 5th year – he is going to have a great season under the proper guidance.

    Reply

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