It was a surprise to some to see the Raiders are exploring trade options for Amari Cooper, who still has a year and a half remaining on his rookie contract. Cooper is just 24 and is obviously not lacking for ability.

Cooper, you may already be aware, had a down year in 2017 and is on his way to another unremarkable season in 2018, but according to a Yahoo report this week, Cooper, like Khalil Mack, is expected to want a new deal before the fifth year of his rookie deal. The deal Cooper is seeking, according to the same report, would put him among the highest-paid receivers in football.

“As one league source framed it Sunday, if the Raiders were open to dealing the best player on their roster – Mack – anyone outside of Carr is subject to being moved,” Charles Robinson reported this week. “Especially if a player is coming up for a contract extension and doesn’t appear to be worth the kind of money he’ll seek. Which would explain the “pocket listed” availability of [Amari] Cooper, who, despite having an up-and-down season, is expected to seek a massive contract extension this offseason. One that undoubtedly puts him in the realm of the league’s highest-paid wide receivers – a bracket that sits somewhere between $15 million-$18 million per season.”

Coincidentally, Cooper shares the same agent as Khalil Mack and his contract status entering the offseason is exactly the same as what Mack’s was a year ago.

If Cooper’s approach to getting a new deal will be anything like Mack’s, Jon Gruden already knows the drill. No phone calls. No organized team activities. And a lengthy holdout that might just extend into the regular season.

So maybe that’s why Gruden is considering his trade options for Cooper here in the third week of October.

twitter: @raidersbeat