Oakland Raiders Mark Davis showered praise on wide receiver Amari Cooper at the Winter League Meeting.
The compliment came with a caveat, though, as Davis indicated Cooper didn't fit head coach Jon Gruden's scheme before a decision was made to ship Cooper to the Dallas Cowboysin exchange for a 2019 first-round pick.
"He was a great, great player," Davis said, via Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram. "We always had the fastest guy on the field no matter what. It just didn't work out in our system."
Cooper had an opportunity Thursday to address the owner's comments, and he stirred the pot when he revealed the final decision on the trade didn't come from Gruden or then-general manager Reggie McKenzie.
Instead, Cooper said Davis stepped in and overruled Gruden and McKenzie.
"They were getting calls about a first for next year and they weren't going to do it," Cooper said. "But when [Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones called about a first for this year he felt he had no choice."
The trade has clearly worked out in the Cowboys' favor.
With Cooper in the lineup, the Cowboys' offense has blossomed and the team has an 8-5 record after starting 3-4 before Cooper's arrival.
Cooper has energized the passing game in six games, totaling 40 catches for 642 yards and six touchdowns, including a monster 217 yards receiving and three-touchdown performance in Week 14.
Meanwhile, the Raiders are 3-10 and no wide receiver on the roster has eclipsed 500 yards entering Week 15. Tight end Jared Cook leads the team with 825 yards receiving.
"In the future, we might be saying, 'Damn'," Davis said.
