Those of you calling for the 49ers to go get Amari Cooper to help the wide receiver room, or damning Kyle Shanahan for not signing him before the Las Vegas Raiders did, can both relax. Because he’s not playing football this year. Or ever again, probably.
Just one week after signing with the Raiders, Cooper has decided to retire from the game.
Obviously, we’re a 49ers site first and foremost, but Cooper was a name many of you were wondering if the 49ers would go get with the wide receiver room a bit
of a question mark. Brandon Aiyuk isn’t back until October, Deebo Samuel is gone, and who knows what Jordan Watkins can do. While Cooper was one of the better free agents the 49ers could bring in, he would also cost money. Something the 49ers are trying to avoid in 2025.
The 49ers did look into bringing in Kendrick Bourne, but it sounds like Bourne will be sitting out Week 1. This could make the Raiders a play for Bourne now that they are short a receiver. They put Justin Shorter on the active roster and signed Phillip Doresett to their practice squad. Bourne is better than both of those names.
This also gives you a big question of hindsight regarding Cooper. If you remember, in 2024, the 49ers were set to trade Aiyuk to the Browns for Cooper plus a second and fifth-round pick. A trade Aiyuk himself put the kibosh on. They could also have received a third-round pick based on the NFL’s comp pick formula if Cooper had left after the season. The bigger thought is what would have happened if the 49ers re-signed Cooper after his contract expired. If Cooper retired at this point in the season, that could leave the 49ers in a bad spot. Or they have another wide receiver drafted with that second-round pick. Had that trade transpired, who knows if Cooper would be sticking around in 2025? .
Can you think if he was on the team in 2025 after a trade in 2024, and this happened? Forget the details just just imagine the fan reaction.
It’s fun to think about what-ifs on this. The more important one is thankfully the 49ers didn’t open up a roster spot while Cooper was a wide receiver this year, only to get slapped with the retirement announcement now. They have enough problems with that position right now.
