This week has been a very fun week for NFL fans. Russell Wilson got traded to the Broncos, Carson Wentz got traded to the Commanders, the Chargers traded for Khalil Mack, and now Amari Cooper is on the move as he looks to become Baker Mayfield's top target in Cleveland next year.
Amari Cooper began his NFL career with the then Oakland Raiders as the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft after a stellar college career at the University of Alabama. Cooper caught 228 passes for 3,463 yards and 31 touchdowns during his time with the Crimson Tide. Cooper had a great start to his NFL career as he caught 72 passes for 1,070 yards and 6 touchdowns in his rookie season and followed that campaign with 83 catches for 1,153 yards and 5 touchdowns in year two. Cooper made the pro bowl in his first two seasons and it looked like the Raiders were getting a potential star in the making at the wide receiver position.
However, Cooper's following seasons with the Raiders were filled with nothing but inconsistency in terms of production as Cooper's motor was put into question by then Raiders head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden and the Raiders had seen enough and during the 2018 season, Cooper was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a 1st round pick. The trade was a win-win for both sides as Dallas desperately needed a true number one target and the Raiders acquired an additional first round draft choice. Up to the point of the trade, Cooper had just 22 catches for 280 yards and one touchdown through the first six games of the season. However, Cooper absolutely took off once he traded to Dallas as he caught 53 passes for 725 yards and 6 touchdowns in nine games for Dallas. Two of Cooper's best games in that stretch were against NFC East rivals as he had 8 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown against Washington on Thanksgiving Day, and 10 catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles. Cooper was crucial in helping Dallas win seven of their last eight games to finish the season 10-6. After a 3-5 start, the Cowboys made it to the divisional round where they lost to the eventual NFC champions in the Los Angeles Rams.
After a great first season in Dallas, things looked like they were heading the right direction for the team. However, Dallas went 8-8 the following season and struggled mightily when faced with elite competition. Cooper had another great statistical year as he had 79 receptions for 1,189 yards and 8 touchdowns, but a strange habit of him not playing well in big road games began to become a problem. Some of the notable road games where he struggled were against the Jets as he had one catch for three yards, at New England where he caught zero passes, and at Philadelphia where he caught four passes for 24 yards in a must win game for Dallas to make the playoffs. Things got so bad in Philly that week Cooper found himself on the bench towards the end of the game because of his poor play.
Cooper had another great statistical year with Dak Prescott injured the following year, but it didn't amount to anything as Dallas went 6-10 and missed the playoffs. This past season, Cooper had his worst statistical season with Dallas as he had just 865 yards on 68 receptions. Cooper is on an expensive contract and is set to make 20 million dollars this year, which is why Dallas just traded him to the Browns for a fifth and sixth round pick. It will be interesting to see if Cooper can consistently produce in what will be a contract year for Baker Mayfield. Cooper is definitely not a diva at receiver and won't suffer from a lack of targets or catches, which could be good for Baker. The NFL offseason is just getting started and there will most likely be more moves to come.