Full circle moments in the NFL are feel-good type moments.
Such is the case for Amari Cooper returning to the Silver & Black. While the wide receiver never played for the Las Vegas variant of the Raiders — he was selected fourth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Oakland version — the 31-year-old talked about having unfinished business as a Raider.
“I always kind of had that in the back of my mind because when I was drafted here, I felt like the expectations were high. I felt like I did okay but
always knew why I was drafted. You draft a guy top five, you expect them to come and really help change the organization,” Cooper explained about returning to the Raiders during his media availability on Tuesday. “And I felt like at times, I showed flashes of doing that, but it wasn’t to my expectations. So, like I said, this time around, I feel like I have unfinished business. I definitely see the opportunity working with Geno (Smith) to be able to do some great things, so I’m excited about it.”
By The Numbers
Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver
- 2024: 14 games (10 starts), 44 receptions, 547 yards, 4 touchdowns
- Career: 154 games (143 starts), 711 receptions, 10,033 yards, 64 touchdowns
Cooper, who inked a one-year deal with a $3.5 million base value and can reach $6 million with incentives, was reportedly a sought after veteran commodity. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini noted Cooper decided to sign with Las Vegas over the likes of a receiver-needy team like the San Francisco 49ers.
But with any feel-good story in the NFL, excitement can be fleeting. Because often times, the jarring jolt of reality can set in and torpedo all the kumbaya moments — savagely so. Thus, expectations for a veteran wideout north of age 30 should be tempered.
But that doesn’t mean Cooper can’t help Las Vegas’ offense that showcases a new starting quarterback (Geno Smith), an intriguing rookie running back (Ashton Jeanty, selected sixth overall in the 2025 draft), and second-year start tight end Brock Bowers, alongside new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
Raider Renaissance?
After experiencing the least productive season of his 10-year career in 2024, Cooper is eager to prove he’s every bit a capable pass catcher at age 31. At 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds, the Alabama product brings ample size and speed in his 11th season and he believes joining Pete Carroll’s Raiders will help showcase he still has “it”.
“Really just two things: One, winning and two, the opportunity to show what I can still do,” Cooper said when asked what his top priorities were when joining a new team. “I had a few teams hitting me up, but I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to show that ‘Trust me, I still got some juice left,’ so I want to show it. And I felt like this was the opportunity for me to show it.”
Looking solely at Cooper’s production this past season — 24 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns with the Cleveland Browns before 20 more receptions for 297 yard and two scores with the Buffalo Bills — it’s easy to be skeptical of what he has left in the tank.
The Raiders are banking on a return to 2023 form when Cooper hauled in 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. When given a quarterback who could get him the ball — first it was Deshaun Watson and then Joe Flacco that year — and incorporated into the gameplan and not buried, Cooper produced. In the six games in Cleveland, he notched 348 snaps on offense (89 percent of the Browns snaps through six games). And in the eight games in Buffalo, Cooper had 239 snaps (46 percent of the Bills snaps for the remaining eight games).
For Kelly and the Raiders, having an experienced receiver who can still run crisp routes and get open amongst a wide receiver group that has two rookies — 2025 picks Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. — a young and developing third-year player — fleet-footed Tre Tucker — Cooper’s presence alongside veteran Jakobi Meyers (28, seventh year) is vital for a young room.
“Yeah, just leadership. Always been a type of guy to lead by example. I do want to work on leading vocally as well because I believe when you marry the two together, that’s the best form of leadership,” Cooper noted on what he brings to the receiver room in Las Vegas. “So like I said, years go by fast. I’m in year 11 now. You got a couple rookies in the room, so I’ll be glad to kind of show them a couple of the tricks of the trade because there are nuances to the game on this level. So I’m excited about that.”
Of Cooper’s 44 receptions last year, 25 were first-down catches. Over the course of his career, 466 of his 711 receptions moved the chains for first downs. And that’s something Las Vegas can’t get enough of as they embark on Year 1 under with Kelly orchestrating the offense.
Flown The Coop
During his initial four seasons in Silver & Black, Cooper compiled 225 catches for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns. That was followed by a four-year stint with the Dallas Cowboys where Cooper snagged 292 passes for 3,893 yards and 27 touchdowns. Then, in more than two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Cooper hauled in 174 passes for 2,660 yards and 16 scores.
It’ll be interesting to see how quickly Cooper is incorporated to the Raiders offense. He can be lined up at a variety of alignments outside and inside and he has the veteran savvy to be an ample target for Smith.
What can’t be ignored, however, is Cooper’s penchant to drops.
According to Pro Football Reference, Cooper has 48 total drops in his career since the group charted that statistic in 2018. His most egregious seasons in terms of drops were in 2022 and 2024 where he totaled 12 drops in both seasons. Cooper also isn’t a renowned blocker. Despite having the size to do so, he isn’t a standout downfield blocker like current teammate Meyers, for example.
