Amari Cooper will not return to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 NFL season as the veteran wide receiver informed the organization that he will retire and step away from professional football, according to a report from Ian Rapoport. The decision comes as a surprise, especially since just a few days ago his return to the team coached by Pete Carroll seemed certain.
Cooper played with the Raiders starting in 2015 and remained with the team for three seasons. During that span, he recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards in his first two campaigns. In the middle of the 2018 season, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, later joined the Cleveland Browns in 2024, and then had a final stint with the Buffalo Bills. In his return to the Raiders, he never made his debut.
Cooper had signed at the end of training camp in a hopeful reunion with the team that originally drafted him into the pros. However, at 31 years old, he decided not to make another attempt and chose to retire from professional play, leaving a gap in the Raiders’ wide receiver depth chart.
What does the Raiders’ WR depth chart look like?
With Cooper’s retirement, Jakobi Meyers leads the Raiders’ wide receiver room as the top option alongside Tre Tucker and Dont’e Thornton Jr. Meanwhile, according to the team’s official website, Jack Bech is another key weapon available for quarterback Geno Smith.
The impact of Cooper in the NFL
Cooper’s retirement puts an end to a ten-year career after being selected in the first round of the 2015 Draft as the fourth overall pick by the then-Oakland Raiders. His best season came in 2019, when he reached a career-high 1,189 yards with the Cowboys.
His career peaked when he signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension with Dallas. Strong performances remained a constant even during his time with the Browns. However, injuries took their toll and limited his availability, and nine years after making his return to the Raiders, he decided to say goodbye to the NFL.