Amari Cooper: “I Wasn’t Really Happy” With The Raiders

Amari Cooper has been difficult guy to figure out. Going all the way back to his rookie year, if Cooper was having fun playing football, it was never particularly easy to tell.

As it turns out, maybe Cooper just wasn’t happy being a Raider. For reasons that he didn’t fully spell out, Cooper said this week that there was definitely something missing with him while he was in Oakland.

“I wasn’t really happy in Oakland or anything like that. But when I sat and thought about it [Monday] night,” Cooper told Yahoo Sports this week, “I thought about the fact that they traded me away. I don’t know how to feel about it.… Just reflecting on my last four games here and my personality here, I feel like it did change me, as far as having that chip on my shoulder. Not that I wasn’t passionate before, but playing with more passion, trying to intentionally have fun out there. It definitely has changed me, in terms of me going out there and just having fun with it.”

What would be interesting to know is specifically why Cooper seemed to check out of games with the Raiders because there’s no question that he has been playing with more enthusiasm since joining the Cowboys. Furthermore, will his increased production continue in Dallas or will he return to the inconsistent player he was for three and a half years as a Raider?

Interestingly, when the Raiders drafted Cooper, some compared him to the Steelers’ Antonio Brown and since he’s been a Cowboy, Cooper has actually been posting stats similar to Brown.

Since Amari Cooper was traded to the Cowboys (Weeks 9 through 12):

Amari Cooper: 22 receptions, 349 yards, 3 touchdowns

Antonio Brown: 25 receptions, 322 yards, 3 touchdowns

— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) November 27, 2018

If those numbers keep up, the Cowboys definitely got good value for the first-round pick they sent to Oakland… and Raider fans [unfortunately] may have to watch another player of their own torch the league in a different uniform.

twitter: @raidersbeat