There’s been plenty of speculation about what happened to Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper in 2017.
The Oakland wideout wasn’t effective as he was in previous seasons and often disappeared in some games. After putting up 1,070 yards receiving as a rookie in 2015 and 1,153 in 2016, Cooper had just 680 yards in 2017, as his receptions dropped to 48 from a career-best 83 in 2016.
Some believed Cooper was misused by offensive coordinator Todd Downing. Others thought he’d put on too much weight through strength training. Whatever it was, Cooper didn’t make nearly as many big catches in 2017.
Now, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr says Cooper was injured.
“He will never tell you, and he’ll never even talk about it, but that man was out there playing on one foot,” Carr said in an interview recently on SiriusXM. “He’s out there trying to give it his all, even though he could barely get out there and do it. That’s the kind of guy I want to play with. That’s how I know we’re going to be just fine.”
Carr added that “a lot of guys probably wouldn’t have even played with what he had going on.”
Carr, too, had a down season in 2016 as the Raiders dropped from 12-4 to 6-10. Having the team’s best offensive players slip at the same time was a huge blow.
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Now, says Carr, he and Cooper are already meeting, talking and working to be better this coming season.
“Him and I are learning to communicate better,” Carr said on SiriusXM. “Him and I are learning how to talk to one another and get accomplished what we both want to get done, and that’s a work in progress. We hit a bump in the road, him and I.”
