The Raiders are in rebuilding mode
While Gruden has said the team is not tanking, and his coaches are getting up at 4am and working every day, this team is in fact in rebuilding mode. Like it or not, this is going to be a season where the wins are few and far between, but Gruden is building for the future, and now has a ton of draft capital to play with.
As it stands on October 22, the Raiders will have three picks in the first 15 selections next April, thanks to Mack and Cooper trades. If the Raiders continue to lose, they will have a top-5 pick guaranteed, and now the fans of the team need to hope the Bears and Cowboys lose each and every week to move up even higher with their two extra picks.
Finally, I just want to wish Cooper good luck, because he has had his moments in the Silver and Black, and has a long career ahead of him. This trade just made sense at this point, and with the Raiders now in full rebuild mode, you have to think that NFL Draft next April is going to have the entire Raider Nation glued to the television set.