The Oakland Raiders might be able to attribute Amari Cooper's down season to injuries, as quarterback Derek Carr suggested Friday the receiver was playing through immense pain all year.
"He would never say it to you - no one would ever say it to you - but I'll say it to you to have his back," Carr told Mad Dog Sports Radio. "That man was out there playing as hard as he could and giving everything he could and, honestly, a lot of guys probably wouldn't have played with what he had."
Carr wouldn't specify precisely what Cooper dealt with, but said the wideout was playing on "one foot." Cooper was known to suffer from knee and ankle ailments throughout the campaign. He also missed time with a concussion.
After posting back-to-back seasons of 1,000 receiving yards or more, Cooper managed just 680 over 14 games in 2017. He was also charged with five drops, placing him among the league leaders in that category.
