Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper has informed the team that he no longer has the desire to play football and intends to retire, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday.
Cooper was on the verge of completing his career circle in 2025 after signing with the Raiders -- the team that made him the fourth overall pick of the 2015 draft -- a little over a week ago in a move that represented both a happy homecoming of sorts and a welcome addition to Las Vegas' receiving corps.
Pelissero reported, however, that Cooper had struggled to ramp up toward game readiness in the last week as the Raiders prepped for their regular-season opener against the Patriots on Sunday.
Thus, the 31-year-old Cooper decided it was best for him to walk away from the game after 10 seasons.
The Raiders officially placed Cooper on the reserve/retired list on Friday, signing Justin Shorter to the active roster and Phillip Dorsett to the practice squad in corresponding moves.
Cooper's career began in Oakland, where he caught 225 passes for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns over 52 games before the Raiders traded him to Dallas as part of an in-season tear down that also saw the team deal Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears in 2018.
Cooper didn't miss a beat in his new home, catching another 292 passes for 3,893 yards and 27 touchdowns over 56 games with the Cowboys, who eventually sent him to the Cleveland Browns as part of a salary dump trade in 2022.
Throughout his first nine seasons, the reserved Cooper was consistently productive, posting seven 1,000-yard seasons and earning five Pro Bowl nods. He didn't begin to show signs of a player nearing retirement until 2024, in which the usually sure-handed Cooper struggled to reliably secure passes in his final weeks with the Browns before they traded him to the title-contending Buffalo Bills last October.
In Buffalo, Cooper stormed onto the scene by catching a touchdown pass in his first game with the Bills. It would be his final shining moment, as he faded into the background down the stretch, catching just one more touchdown pass in the 2024 season.
Cooper finishes his career with 711 receptions for 10,033 yards and 64 touchdowns
