It’s now been six years since Amari Cooper suited up in the NFL’s iconic silver and black uniforms on game day. Midway through the league’s 2018 season, Cooper was shipped to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a first-round pick. The Pro Bowl wideout has since been traded to Cleveland, and now, signs are pointing to him being on the move again. The question is, do the Las Vegas Raiders entertain a potential reunion with their former first-round selection?
On Monday, the Cleveland Browns converted all but $1.2 million of Cooper’s earnings during the ’24 season into a signing bonus. This move makes it so any team who trades for Cooper will allocate just under $1 million in cap for their new weapon, as Spotrac cofounder Michael Ginnitti notes.
In the meantime, the Browns would swallow $8 million of Cooper’s salary in 2024, and $22.5 million the following year. With no financial commitment needed upon a trade, adding Cooper should be intriguing, if nothing else, to each team around the NFL.
That includes the Raiders.
Raider Nation has dreams of their team making a deal for a proven quarterback, but at this point, it’s exactly that: a dream. Antonio Pierce and company are confident in Gardner Minshew’s abilities, but the passing attack isn’t as effective as it should be. Although the Raiders rank fifth in completion percentage and 10th in passing yardage, the team has only four touchdowns through the air to show for it.
Just seven teams across the NFL have less passing touchdowns than Las Vegas through four weeks.
Amari Cooper himself has found the end zone twice on receptions this season. No player on the Raiders has caught more than one touchdown after four weeks.
The benefits of adding Amari Cooper to the Las Vegas Raiders
When Michael Gallup signed with Las Vegas this offseason, the former Cowboy was meant to have a notable role in the offense. Before that happened, Gallup decided to hang up his cleats; a development that caught Tom Telesco by surprise.
Cooper will give the Raiders what they thought they’d have in Gallup. A combination of Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker and Amari Cooper should be more than enough to overcome any quarterback problems that may plague the Raiders down the stretch.
It also gives the team flexibility both now and during the offseason.
Should Davante Adams miss more time, Sin City’s coaching staff can sleep a little better knowing Cooper is available. And, should those tiresome trade rumors ever have any truth to them, there will at least be a proven contributor ready to start.
When the offseason rolls around, Telesco will have a backup plan for Jakobi Meyers, who’s slated to become a free agent.
As things stand, more than half of the Raiders’ starting defense will need a new contract this summer. The team’s upcoming free agents include Tre’von Moehrig, Marcus Epps, Nate Hobbs, Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo, Malcolm Koonce, Adam Butler and John Jenkins. That’s a lot of mouths to feed.
If there’s no room left on the payroll for Meyers, Cooper makes an adequate replacement. The 30-year-old will need a new contract himself, but it gives the Raiders options.
Or perhaps the best reason to potentially add Cooper is to maximize the window created by Davante Adams’ presence. Adams turns 32 years old this season; the time to capitalize on him gracing the roster is now.
*Top Photo: Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group