Amari Cooper Traded to Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys are now the best team in the NFC East, thank you Oakland!
During the 2018 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys made a mid-season trade deal with the Oakland Raiders. This trade was for Amari Cooper, then the star wide receiver for the Raiders. With acquiring Cooper, the Cowboys gave up their first-round pick in the 2019 draft.
It can be argued that Cooper is one of the best wide receivers in the league. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft and had a tremendous rookie season! He opened his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and made the Pro Bowl twice.
But unfortunately, with the Raiders being known as a losing team, Cooper’s talent faded away with the Raiders potential. With the Raiders in the start of the 2018 season, he only had 22 catches for 280 yards and a touchdown in six games. Cooper was essentially a wasted talent at this point if he were to stay in Oakland.
When Dallas called mid-season, Oakland was ready to listen.
“I got a call from [Cowboys vice president], Stephen Jones, this morning, he put it on the table, what he wanted to do, and he wanted the player, and he gave me the pick, and that’s what it came down to,” McKenzie said.
With this trade, Oakland will now have three first-round picks in 2019 after also getting the Chicago Bears’ selection in last month’s Khalil Mack trade.
Welcome to Dallas Amari Cooper!
This was definitely a push on the restart button for Cooper. In his first nine games with the Cowboys after being traded from Oakland, Cooper totaled 53 receptions, 725 yards and six touchdowns. His performance also silenced all the critics who questioned Dallas’ decision to surrender a first-round pick for the wideout.
“When the Raiders pick our pick, we’ll be watching Amari Cooper highlight tapes,” Vice President Stephen Jones joked.
