Amari Cooper Announces Retirement: Surprise for the Raiders
Wide receiver Amari Cooper, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, has informed the Las Vegas Raiders of his intention to retire, just days before the team begins the 2025 season against New England. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly revealed that Cooper called coach Pete Carroll to inform him of his decision.Cooper’s decision comes after he signed a one-year contract with the organization on August 26. The 31-year-old player had expressed that returning to the Raiders, the team that drafted him in 2015, was a “full-circle moment” and that he still had “some energy”. General manager John Spytek had indicated last week that the team expected Cooper to have a “big role” in Sunday’s game plan against the Patriots. Carroll, who played a significant role in Cooper’s arrival in Las Vegas, expected the receiver to play on the outside and serve as a mentor for rookies Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech. Cooper’s departure leaves the Raiders with Bech, Thornton, Tre Tucker, and Jakobi Meyers at the wide receiver position, the latter recently requesting a trade due to a contract dispute. The team also includes Justin Shorter, Shedrick Jackson, and Alex Bachman, who stood out in training camp, on the practice squad. Thornton, who is shaping up to be a starter, described sharing a locker room with Cooper as “amazing”, and added that he tried to ask him as many questions as he could. In 52 games with the Raiders, Cooper accumulated 225 receptions for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns. He surpassed 1,000 yards in his first two seasons. The Raiders traded him to the Dallas Cowboys during the 2018 season. In 2024, in 14 games, Cooper achieved 44 receptions for 547 yards and four touchdowns. Cooper finishes his career with 711 receptions, 10,033 yards, and 64 touchdowns. He had seven seasons with at least 1,000 yards, including a high of 1,250 in 2023.“It’s unfortunate because I think he’s a great football player,” Kelly commented. “… But he knows in his heart what he wants to do, so I wish him the best.”
Chip Kelly
