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3 Players the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders gave up on way too early

By Brendan Danaher

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 02: Amari Cooper #19 of the Dallas Cowboys runs off of the field against the New Orleans Saints during an NFL game at Caesars Superdome on December 02, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 02: Amari Cooper #19 of the Dallas Cowboys runs off of the field against the New Orleans Saints during an NFL game at Caesars Superdome on December 02, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /
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Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Amari Cooper – Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports /

Player no. 1: Amari Cooper, WR

One of the biggest excuses for Derek Carr was that he went so many seasons without a true, number one wide receiver to help him on the offense. Carr did have a number one receiver for several seasons; Amari Cooper.

Cooper was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the fourth pick overall. Cooper exploded alongside Michael Crabtree and company putting up back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons in 2015 and 2016. Cooper, a 2x Pro Bowler in Oakland, scored 11 touchdowns his first two seasons before sustaining an injury and failing to eclipse more than 600 yards in 2017. In 2018 the Raiders’ patience had run out and traded Cooper before the trade deadline to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2019 first-round pick.

Cooper, similar to Arden Key, was not upset about being traded by the Raiders. Cooper stated the trade was “necessary” and claimed that the Raiders “weren’t a good fit.” Cooper thrived in Dallas completing almost 4,000 receiving yards in 3.5 seasons with 27 touchdowns and a career high average of 15.1 yards per reception. Cooper went to the playoffs twice with the Cowboys and achieved two more Pro Bowl selections.

The Raiders gave up on Cooper at the age of 24, extremely young for any player in the NFL, who still had huge upside. While Cooper was eventually traded by the Cowboys to the Browns (citing effort concerns) the Raiders still ultimately lost the trade. The first-round pick they received from the Cowboys turned into safety Jonathan Abram who is no longer on the team and essentially was labeled a “bust.”

The Raiders struggled to replace Cooper until finally landing Davante Adams, which did not come to fruition until 2022, nearly four years after trading away Cooper.

These three players could have played significant roles for the Raiders over the past decade and could have altered the losing ways the Raiders have experienced in that time frame. Hopefully, the lesson has been learned.

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