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Veteran NFL wide receiver Amari Cooper has informed the Las Vegas Raiders that he no longer wants to play football and intends to retire ahead of the 2025 season.
Cooper, who has played for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills, began his career with the Raiders, which made signing with the team just over a week ago especially meaningful. He said he had some juice left in the tank to continue playing.
But before Week 1 began, the NFL Network reported that Cooper struggled to ramp up to game readiness. In turn, the 31-year-old is walking away from the league after 10 seasons.
Cooper was a member of the then-Oakland Raiders when they drafted him fourth overall out of Alabama in 2015. He tallied 225 catches for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns over 52 games with the franchise, earning three of his five Pro Bowl selections.
The Raiders traded him to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 campaign, as the team was tearing down the roster.
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Cooper wasn’t the only star leaving, as Khalil Mack was traded to the Chicago Bears before the NFL deadline as well.
Cooper quickly cemented himself as a reliable option for quarterback Dak Prescott, hauling in 292 passes for 3,893 yards and 27 touchdowns over 56 games. The Cowboys signed Cooper to a five-year, $100 million extension in March 2020, rewarding him for his efforts while wearing “The Star.”
But he was a salary-cap casualty in 2022 when the Cowboys dealt him to the Cleveland Browns.
He spent parts of three seasons in Cleveland, racking up 2,660 yards on 174 catches with 16 touchdowns over 38 games. Cooper began the 2024 season in Cleveland but was traded again—this time to the Bills.
In Buffalo, Cooper caught a touchdown from Josh Allen, and many believed the 2024 NFL MVP had found a solid pass-catching option. However, Cooper’s role never flourished, as he caught just one more touchdown during the regular season.
For his career, Cooper finished with 711 receptions, 10,033 receiving yards and 64 total touchdowns.
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