Raiders Amari Cooper No Longer Has Desire to Play Football and Plans to Retire
The reunion unfortunately shall be cut short. Just hours before the start of the 2025-2026 season a decision has been made and an announcement publicized. The Las Vegas Raiders Amari Cooper says he no longer has any desire to play football and plans to retire.
This development comes to the forefront just one week after Cooper reunited with the silver and black franchise. A decade ago, it was the Raiders who gave Amari his start in the league. Drafting the wide receiver with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Therefore, everything seemed to be coming full circle for the Raiders and Amari Cooper. Amari was coming home and Vegas looked forward to the added production. Throughout his football tenure Cooper was a 5x Pro Bowler while amassing 711 receptions, 10,033 receiving yards and 64 receiving TDs.
But suddenly this week a switch was flipped. NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport reported,
“Comeback no more: Raiders WR Amari Cooper has informed the team that he no longer has the desire to play and intends to retire, per The Insiders. Cooper had signed at the end of camp in a hopeful reunion with the team that drafted. Now, he’s headed home from Las Vegas.”
Previously, Cooper had felt ready for the season, making it clear that the tank was not dry and he still had “juice” left. So then, why the sudden change of heart? Nick Shook of NFL.com reveals that,
“[As] Pelissero reported… 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.”
Raiders Amari Cooper No Longer Has Desire to Play Football and Plans to Retire
Interestingly, several players had just spoke to the media glowingly of Cooper. For instance, the Dallas Cowboys’ Ceedee Lamb mentioned how Amari had an impact on molding him into the player he has become. Lamb says, “He taught me how to be a professional at receiver and to be dominant in this position.”
Additionally, Cooper’s Las Vegas Raiders fellow comrade and quarterback, Geno Smith also explained in a presser this week that he believed that Amari could still be very valuable as well as effective on the field. Smith stated, “He’s been awesome, always been a fan of Amari. … He’s still got juice, he can still play.”
Obviously, Cooper’s peers think very highly of him. And had looked forward to witnessing another season from the Pro Bowler. However, retirement is a personal decision and Amari no doubt is doing what is best for him. Therefore, we wish Amari all the best and thank him for the amazing memories.
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