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Does Amari Cooper Make Sense For the Raiders?
Oct 12, 2018; Watford, United Kingdom; Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper during press conference at the Hilton London Wembley. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In 2015, when the Raiders drafted Amari Cooper with the fourth overall pick, the wide receiver out of Alabama was supposed to be the Raiders' best homegrown pass catcher since Tim Brown, and for one brief and beautiful moment, he was.

In 2016, Cooper's 1,153 receiving yards and five touchdowns helped Oakland end a playoff drought dating back to 2002.

However, a season-ending injury to Derek Carr a week before the regular season finale ended any chance of postseason success for the Raiders and Cooper would have a down year in 2017.

In 2018, Cooper would be traded during the season to the Dallas Cowboys, firing shots at the franchise on the way out. Now in 2025, Cooper is a free agent who is set to turn 31 in June, and as he looks for a new home, NFL.com's Kevin Patra listed the Raiders as one of the seven best spots for Cooper.

"I'm not concerned with how things ended for Cooper and the Raiders last time." Wrote Patra. "Seven years have passed. Vegas has gone through roughly 35 coaches in that timeframe (kidding). The new era under head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Spytek feels different than the last several iterations."

"There isn't a glaring need for a receiver in Las Vegas, with All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers, the underrated Jakobi Meyers, field stretcher Tre Tucker and second-round pick Jack Bech. But it's an uber-young WR crew. Outside of Meyers, no one in the Raiders WR room has more than two years of experience. A presence like Cooper could add some wisdom and help the transition for Geno Smith."

It is a new era under Spytek and that's why Cooper shouldn't rejoin the Raiders. The past is the past and that won't have any bearing on current football decisions.

The truth is Amari Cooper is old and is a diminished product. While he may flourish in other situations, Cooper's experience did not translate to high levels of production with the Browns or Bills in 2024.

Keep in mind the Browns added Jerry Jeudy who became a Pro Bowler and the Bills had the NFL MVP at quarterback.

Considering all the players the Raiders have, when would Cooper see the field and realistically, how many targets is he going to get?

While a reunion is fine in theory, all signs point to Cooper's potential return ending in failure.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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