It’s been 10 years since he last coached an NFL game, but Jon Gruden has returned to the black hole for the 2018 season. The Raiders lured Gruden out of the broadcast booth with a whopping 10-year, $100 million contract. When Gruden told reporters he was “trying to throw the game back to 1998,” it was assumed to be a joke, but the head-scratching moves indicate that he may be serious.
If we consider the historical averages and assume Cooper returns to his 2016 efficiency, his 2018 stat line projects out to around 88 receptions on 140 targets for 1,250 yards and nine touchdowns. Those numbers would have placed him as PPR WR4 between Keenan Allen and Larry Fitzgerald in 2017. I’m absolutely buying the top-five upside at his current cost of a late third-round pick.