Raiders’ Amari Cooper Makes Shocking Move After Signing

With the wide receiver position lacking depth as the regular season approaches, the Las Vegas Raiders decided to bring back Amari Cooper, whom the team originally drafted back in 2016, on a one-year deal.

The move made sense as Cooper could provide a veteran presence, as, outside of Jakobi Meyers, the rest of the Raiders’ receivers were lacking experience. Tre Tucker had his moments last season, but still has plenty to prove, while rookies Dont’e Thornton and Jack Bech are complete unknowns, even though they’ve had good training camps.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, the Cooper reunion is apparently ending before it truly began, as the veteran receiver reportedly informed the team that he plans to retire, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN:

Wide receiver Amari Cooper, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, has informed the Las Vegas Raiders that he intends to retire just days before the team opens the 2025 season at New England, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

His decision comes after he signed a one-year deal with the organization on Aug. 26. Cooper, 31, said returning to the Raiders — who drafted him fourth overall in 2015 when they were based in Oakland — was a “full-circle moment” and that he still had “some juice left.”

This comes as a bit of a surprise considering Cooper, as McFadden noted, had said that he still had something left in the tank upon signing with the Raiders. But perhaps taking part in these practices made Cooper realize that he simply no longer has the desire to continue playing. And if that’s the case, then he is doing the right thing in recognizing that and stepping away.

The Raiders will now have to pivot just days ahead of their season-opening contest against the New England Patriots. Cooper was expected to have a real role on this offense, but with him no longer in the fold, the Raiders will be even more reliant on Thornton, Bech and Tucker to support Meyers and tight end Brock Bowers in the passing game.

Jakobi Meyers requested trade from Raiders prior to Amari Cooper signing

Another reason many believed the Raiders moved to sign Amari Cooper was due to the unhappiness of their top receiver, Jakobi Meyers, as the two sides have been unable to come to terms on an extension, as Meyers is in the final year of his deal.

Meyers requested a trade from the Raiders, which some felt was a response to the Cooper signing, but Meyers’ request reportedly came prior to Cooper’s return to the franchise.