Amari Cooper wasn't stunned when he was notified during practice early this week he was being traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Dallas Cowboys.
The man shipped in to be the face of Jerry Jones' receiver corps said he's thrilled to get a fresh start after three-plus years in Oakland.
"It feels great," Cooper said Wednesday after going through his first Cowboys practice. "It feels like a fresh start, just like a freshman year in college or something like that. ... I mean the first thing you think about when you hear the Cowboys is that star, 'America's Team,' and all of that. It's a great franchise."
The 24-year-old receiver is coming off almost a year-and-a-half of disappointing, up-and-down play. After generating back-to-back 1,000-plus yard seasons to open his career, Cooper generated just 48.0 receiving yards per game on 3.5 catches per tilt since the start of 2017.
Cooper says he's known Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott since college when the two would battle in the SEC.
"I really like the way he throws the ball. It's a good ball," Cooper said after practice.
Cooper is coming off a concussion suffered in Week 5, his last game in Oakland. The former first-round receiver will practice again with his new team Thursday before the squad breaks for the bye week.
"I have to stack the days together," Cooper said. "Obviously learn the system and just be ready to go out there when my name is called. All the other stuff will come."
