Amari Cooper is the latest star player who is supposedly on the trade block in Oakland, and it sounds like he may be another person who is having trouble getting along with new head coach Jon Gruden.
Gruden, who infamously traded pass-rusher Khalil Mack because he did not think he deserved a massive contract extension, said before the season that he expected Cooper to be the focal point of the Raiders’ offense. That hasn’t panned out, and Michael Lombardi of The Athletic says Oakland’s brass doesn’t think the wide receiver has “great passion for the sport.”
"I don't think they think Amari Cooper's got great passion for the sport. I don't think they think he loves football. That's what I'm hearing coming out of that building." — @mlombardiNFL on why #Raiders are willing to part with Amari Cooper. https://t.co/J1XRyx6jFr
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) October 17, 2018
Gruden has denied that he is shopping Cooper in trade talks, but reports have indicated the Raiders are looking for suitors and have attached a high price tag to him. Like Mack, Cooper is going to be looking for a big contract extension soon, so perhaps Gruden does not feel he is worth it.
Through six games this season, Cooper has 280 receiving yards and just one touchdown. He was forced to leave last week’s game early after taking a monster hit, so that didn’t help.
