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It appeared Amari Cooper was coming home after the veteran wide receiver signed a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders last week, but Cooper will not be on the field when the Raiders kick off the season vs. the New England Patriots on Sunday. Cooper has informed the team that he no longer has the desire to play and intends to retire, per NFL Media. The five-time Pro Bowler hangs up the cleats after 10 NFL seasons.

Cooper started last season with the Cleveland Browns but was dealt to the Buffalo Bills prior to the trade deadline. While Buffalo made the AFC Championship Game, Cooper was not a major player in the offense. He caught 28 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games played, including playoffs.

The Alabama product was selected No. 4 overall by the Raiders in the 2015 NFL Draft and began his career with two straight 1,000-yard seasons before he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in the middle of this fourth NFL season. After catching 79 passes for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019, his first full season with the Cowboys, Cooper signed a five-year extension worth $100 million. Cooper played two more seasons in Dallas before being traded to the Browns.

In Cleveland, Cooper was highly productive. He caught 78 passes for 1,160 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns in 2022, and then racked up a career-high 1,250 yards and five touchdowns on 72 receptions in 2023. The Browns went 11-6 that year with Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco at quarterback and made the playoffs as a wild card. 

Cooper retires having caught 711 passes for 10,033 yards and 64 touchdowns. He put together seven 1,000-yard receiving campaigns, and ranks 10th all-time in receiving yards for the Cowboys (3,893), and 15th for the Raiders (3,183). 

Breaking down the Raiders WR room 

It wasn't expected that Cooper would walk on the field this late in the preseason and be an immediate starter for the Raiders, but he was viewed as a veteran presence in a room that needed it. 

There are several new faces that will be catching passes from new quarterback Geno Smith this season. The Raiders drafted Jack Bech out of TCU at No. 58 overall. Bech was the 2025 Senior Bowl MVP after catching six passes for 68 yards and the game-winning touchdown down in Mobile. He recorded 1,034 yards last season for the Horned Frogs, which ranked fourth-most in program history. 

Vegas also selected Tennessee speedster, Dont'e Thornton Jr., in the fourth round. He led the FBS with 25.4 yards per reception last season and had six receptions of 50 yards, tied for the most in the FBS. 

The Raiders do return Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker from 2024. Meyers is coming off a career year in which he caught 87 passes for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games played, but he requested a trade just over a week ago after failing to secure a new contract. However, it does seem like he's ready to play on Sunday. 

"I asked, they said no. That's where that stopped," Meyers told reporters about his trade request, per NFL.com. "I mean, I'm just going to keep doing my job until something shakes out either way, honestly. I don't know which way it's going to go, but I'll be ready for whatever."

Coach Pete Carroll will need these four players to step up in 2025, but don't forget about star tight end Brock Bowers. He was the Raiders' leading receiver last season, catching 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. Those 112 receptions broke an NFL rookie record, and his 1,194 yards receiving were the most ever by a first-year tight end.