Pro Football Rumors
On a day when one Raiders receiver has asked to be dealt, a former wideout is set to return to the team. Amari Cooper is heading to Vegas.
This will be a one-year reunion, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. Jakobi Meyers is looking for a trade in the wake of extension talks stalling, so the timing of today’s news is certainly noteworthy. Still, the Raiders were named today as one of the teams in the market for a WR addition, so this move is not entirely surprising.
Cooper has not had a strong market for his services this offseason, a reflection of his underwhelming production upon being dealt from the Browns to the Bills midway through last season. The five-time Pro Bowler averaged 37 yards per game with Buffalo down the stretch. The team left the door open to a re-signing, but nothing took place on that front and a lucrative addition was ultimately made in the form of Josh Palmer.
A return to the Cowboys received consideration shortly after the draft, but in the end Dallas worked out a trade for George Pickens. No other suitors emerged over the course of the summer, and with the preseason in the books Cooper will now face a quick ramp-up period ahead of the campaign. He will do so with the franchise he began his career with (albeit in a different city).
A first-round pick of the then-Oakland Raiders, Cooper enjoyed a highly consistent start to his career. He totaled 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns across 52 games before being dealt to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 season. Cooper went on to top 1,000 yards another four times after that trade, giving Dallas and later Cleveland a dependable WR1. Expectations will be tempered for 2025, but the 31-year-old will give Vegas an experienced starting-caliber option with Myers’ future at least somewhat uncertain.
More to come…
