Las Vegas Raiders receiver Amari Cooper notified the team Thursday that he’s decided to retire, according to a team source.
It’s a sudden turn of events, given he just signed a one-year deal last Tuesday and had only been practicing with the team for about a week. But he decided that he no longer wants to play.
After underwhelming stints with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills last season, Cooper went unsigned through the free agency period and the majority of training camp. And while he’s only 31 years old, his tape from 2024 showed a player who wasn’t close to the Pro Bowl form he displayed earlier in his career.
The Raiders picked him up anyway because they desperately needed receiver depth. Although Jakobi Meyers is an excellent slot receiver, their options on the outside were made up of an unproven group of young players. Tre Tucker has been OK at best in his first two seasons and Dont’e Thornton and Jack Bech are rookies.
In theory, Cooper would’ve provided some veteran insurance to the room. According to a team sources, however, Cooper was unimpressive in practice and didn’t have the look of a difference maker.
Now that Cooper is retired, the Raiders are going to be searching for answers once again. Given none of the three receivers on the practice squad — Alex Bachman, Shedrick Jackson and Justin Shorter — have been proven to be difference makers, either, they’ll need to go outside in order to find one.
At this point in the calendar, the receiver market is unsurprisingly thin. Veteran options who are still available include Tyler Boyd, Kendrick Bourne, Diontae Johnson, Nelson Agholor, Robert Woods and former Raider DJ Turner, among others. It’ll be interesting to see if the Raiders decide to pick someone else up to replace Cooper.
(Photo: Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images)
Sep 4, 2025
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