Amari Cooper‘s return to the Raiders will not include any game action in 2025. The Pro Bowl wideout is instead ending his career. 
Cooper informed Vegas on Thursday he is retiring, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. The former Raiders draftee returned to his original team last week, ending his lengthy stay on the open market. In spite of that, Cooper’s career is coming to an end.
The 31-year-old had a down year in 2024 but did not encounter any major injury concerns. As a result, Cooper was expected to play this year, and his Raiders reunion suggested that would be the case. However, a reversal has now taken place days before Vegas’ regular season begins.
While Cooper managed to play at least 14 games every season during his career, Pelissero notes he struggled in the ramp-up process for the 2025 campaign. Instead of missing time early in a bid to suit up later in the season, the 10-year veteran will hang up his cleats. At the moment, the Raiders are now left with only four receivers on their active roster (although the team has three replacement options on the practice squad).
The fourth overall pick in 2015’s draft, Cooper had a productive run of three-plus seasons with the then-Oakland Raiders. He was traded to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 season before ultimately signing a five-year extension with Dallas. While playing out that $100MM pact, Cooper remained a highly consistent producer but the emergence of CeeDee Lamb opened the door to another trade. The Browns traded for Cooper in 2022.
That move proved to be fruitful, as the Alabama product delivered on expectations during his two full Cleveland campaigns. As a pending free agent, Cooper was dealt to the Bills last season ahead of the trade deadline. His production fell short of expectations based on the third-round pick paid in that agreement, something which no doubt contributed to a long stay on the open market.
Upon reuniting with the Raiders – at least, a regime far removed from the one he last played for as a member of the team – Cooper was set to play a role of some kind for Vegas. Instead, the team will now proceed with Jakobi Meyers (who just rescinded his trade request after an unsuccessful bid to work out an extension), along with fellow returnee Tre Tucker and rookies Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton at the receiver spot.
Cooper recorded 1,000 or more yards seven times in his career, serving as a model of consistency over the course of his career despite changing teams midseason on multiple occasions. He is one of 57 players in NFL history to amass 10,000 career receiving yards. In all, Cooper totaled 162 combined regular and postseason appearances and over $136MM in earnings.
Jakobi Meyers requests trade.
Raiders sign Amari Cooper the following day
Jakobi Meyers rescinds trade request.
Cooper retires the next day
What is going on in Vegas?
No one knows. Reporters tried to ask and were told what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Ha! Nice work
He never rescinded his trade request, this site just had a stupid article yesterday.
Crappy Timing. Brady to the rescue? LOL
Eh, Brady is a lousy receiver…
C’mon Brady can get him to come back right? I heard Brady can turn Water into Wine!
Probably the worst take I’ve ever seen on pro football trade rumors.
For a guy who got treated like a disappointment at various times in his career, putting up 10,000 yards and 64 touchdowns in his career is nothing to sneeze at. He was never elite, but he was very good for a long time. A shame to see him stuck in so many lousy situation and a shame to see once again how quickly the cliff can come for a receiver.
Now where are all those people who were just telling me he couldn’t be washed because he had a lot of yards two years ago?
Lmao for real. People were acting like he shook Jakobi to his core and saying he was one of the best 2 receivers in the league. Dude straight up disappeared last year
I think any Bama player from their peak years gets saddled with sky high expectations that are difficult to meet. I agree with you on his career. I enjoyed watching him play in college, and I think he was a great WR in the NFL even if not a superstar.
@Oooof – you see a retirement announcement and your thought is “how can I make this about myself? How can I use this to pick a fight?”
unimaginable levels of dweeb.
I actually commented on the guy’s overarching career while you just made a comment about how this pertains to the Meyers situation. How dare I follow up on a conversation from last week on the site where it took place. More importantly, how will I live without the respect of Blah blah blah?
Dude blah blah blah’s respect is like… super important.
You did make it about you. You made a comment about his career which was spot on.
But then you had to take it a step further by making it about your superior takes by asking where everyone was that said he couldn’t be washed.
Congrats you made a valid point. Live in that space. No need to keep receipts on a trade rumors forum.
No need to referee a trade rumors forum either. I think you’re reading way too much here.
Listen to the fact checker
you can do whatever you want but if you leave a dweeby comment it might get called out for its dweeby nature.
OK
You all really have too much time on your hands. Lets get outside people, enjoy life in reality.
And be kind, please rewind
I’ve had my differences with Oooof but reality is the man is usually spot on with his comments and really have respect for his insight. You seem to be really hung up on saying not much of anything.
Dweeb ? Really? This forum is for adults
I’d say that Cooper was elite during his time in Oakland, and even some in his time in Dallas. Any disappointment with Cooper was more of a result of an overall disappointment in the general offense than Cooper himself in my eyes. The Raiders’ offense was always going through a transition, and people blamed Carr for a lot of the missed opportunities over the years. A lot of that blame extended to Cooper. However, there was a time where he and Davante Adams were the two top route runners in the league, and Cooper was an unquestioned number one for a lot of his time.
I’d say that he had years where you could put him top five, and certainly could put him top ten, in his career.
I think all of that is reasonable, although I think his game was always just flawed enough to keep him from being the kind of inner circle receiver he was projected to be when he was taken fourth overall. The situation in Oakland definitely didn’t help (let alone Cleveland).
I think it’s more frustration than anything with coop. He flashed hall of fame potential but could never put it all together. Even in his good seasons there were games or stretches where he just straight up disappeared. It always felt like he was gonna get 150 yards or 15 yards in a game. He never finished in top 5 in catches or yards in a season in his career. Nice career but people will always feel like he left something on the table.
Totally. Which I understand from a fan perspective. He had a very nice career, but when you have a hall of famer in mind, a mere five pro bowls can feel like a letdown.
With respect to his time with the Raiders, that ended badly most of all because “Chucky” Gruden didn’t like Cooper’s quiet, laid back demeanor. So they traded him for a 1st round pick that Gruden and his clueless pal Mike Mayock wasted by reaching for Damon Arnette.
I could be wrong, but I think Arnette’s pick was from the Mack trade. Which I guess means Abram was the pick from the Cooper trade. But your point is true all the same with that detail subbed out.
Yep. Cooper was a darn fine career. Anyone calling Cooper a bum doesn’t know ball.
He was a very good #2 wide out but never a number 1 Very nice career nonetheless
Lmao what?
This is hysterical
I loved watching him play. Jerry Jones is going to be Jerry Jones. He had the opportunity to have the best wr tandem for several years and blew it.
Well he was done last year so I’m not surprised.
Congrats on a great career. Dude was a professional and stayed out of trouble. You gotta appreciate guys like Cooper.
What in the holy hell. I never did like that guy.
I’d say the feeling is likely mutual, but Amari Cooper has more class.
If class is giving your word only to quit, then yes you are correct.
Jerry Jones just traded a first round pick for Amari Cooper’s rights.