Jon Gruden’s return to the sidelines could not have gotten any worse than they have through six games of the season. It’s now at a point where Gruden’s patience is razor thin. So thin that he’s ready to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper and safety Karl Joseph.
The fire sale has begun, and with the Oakland Raiders now on their bye, we could see one if not both of these players on the move. We’ve already seen Gruden trade the best defensive player in the league one week before the season. Gruden trading away Cooper and Joseph would be nothing to him.
However, trading away Cooper and Joseph now, while demanding a first round pick in return is not good business. Both of these player’s values are extremely low right now, especially for Amari Cooper who is currently under concussion protocol. Teams around the league are sure to try finesse Gruden into lowering his demands, which is very likely. Giving up a second round pick for Amari would be the highest to consider. In Karl Joseph’s case, giving up no more than sixth rounder or fifth rounder for him should be the maximum.
Interest in Cooper will be received from a plethora of teams, but it’s hard to see any team have interest in Joseph. I can only see one scenario where a team trades for him. Before I get into Joseph’s one scenario, I’ll dive into the three situations that would be ideal for Amari Cooper to be in if traded. Let’s take a look at one of his three scenarios starting with the San Francisco 49ers.
