Reggie McKenzie and Head Coach Jon Gruden were busy the day after the Oakland Raiders officially returned from the bye, confirming the team had traded wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
"We made a trade today with the Dallas Cowboys," said McKenzie Monday during a sit-down with assembled media. "It was an opportunity that I felt I couldn't pass on. To get a first-round pick, in this business here, I thought was invaluable. It's something that I felt like I had to do moving forward for this organization. I love Amari… I just felt when I got a call from 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 acknowledged that teams had called at the beginning of the season in regards to the availability of Cooper and other members of the Silver and Black, but at the time, the Raiders GM elected to stand down.
That changed Monday morning, when he got the offer that he was looking for from Dallas.
Originally selected in the first round (No. 4 overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft, Cooper is a two-time Pro Bowler, but had struggled with producing at a consistent clip as of late.
"I think he's a first-round player, that's why I had to get that first-round pick," McKenzie explained. "Now, has he been inconsistent? Absolutely. But, has he shown greatness? Absolutely. The consistency is something that I'm sure he's worked on, and this guy's still a young player. I think he's going to do well down in Dallas."
In his 52 games as a Raider, Cooper caught 225 passes for 3,183 yards, and 19 touchdowns.
