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Oakland Raiders: 6 Players Who Should Become Ex-Raiders This Offseason

By Kevin Saito

CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 31: The Oakland Raiders during the national anthem prior to the game against the Oakland Raiders at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 31: The Oakland Raiders during the national anthem prior to the game against the Oakland Raiders at StubHub Center on December 31, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Oakland Raiders
KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 10: Tight end Jared Cook /

Jared Cook

When Cook was signed last offseason, it was thought that he was going to help take the offense to another level. That he’d provide Derek Carr a solid, reliable, big-bodied red zone target and help the team put points on the board.

Now, this isn’t to say that all of Oakland’s offensive woes are on Cook. It’s not even to say that most of Oakland’s offensive woes are on Cook. The ineptitude of (thank the gods) former offensive coordinator Todd Downing coupled with the sharp regression in play from Carr are the biggest reasons for that.

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    • No, Cook wasn’t the problem for Oakland’s offense in 2017. He was, however, superfluous. Some of us, at the time of his signing, said it – and continued to say it throughout the season.

    Cook didn’t have a bad season, all things considered. He was second on the team in receptions (54) and led the team in yards (688), but had just two scores on the year and a number of costly drops and fumbles.

    The fact that he led the team in receiving yards though, on a roster that featured Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, should tell you about all you need to know about how dysfunctional Oakland’s offense was this year.

    The point, regarding Cook, is this – did he do anything special or transformative for this offense? Did he help it transcend? And more importantly, did Cook do anything that Clive Walford couldn’t have done had he not been tossed aside and mothballed for most of the year?

    The answer to those question is a resounding no.

    Walford is younger, is arguably, more athletic, and a more cost effective (a cap hit of just over $1 million in 2018) alternative to Cook. With a cap hit of a little more than $5 million next season – and more importantly, no dead money – the Raiders should most definitely move on from Cook and let Walford do what they drafted him to do.

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