Upon joining the Las Vegas Raiders last week, wide receiver Amari Cooper sounded motivated to make an impact after reuniting with his old team.
In his first media availability after officially signing on Aug. 26, Cooper said he had "unfinished business" with the Raiders after he spent the first three-plus years of his career with the team before he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
“I always had that in the back of my mind because when I was drafted here, I felt like the expectations were high and I felt like I did OK, but I always knew why I was drafted,” he said. “You draft a guy top 5, you expect him to come and really help change the organization, and I felt like at times I showed flashes of doing that, but it wasn’t to my expectations. This time around, I feel like I have unfinished business.”
Now, just nine days after he officially signed, Cooper is hanging up his cleats for good, which makes his "unfinished business" comment hilarious.
According to reports, Cooper has decided to retire from the NFL after he notified the Raiders he "no longer has the desire to play," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero added that Cooper "had been struggling to ramp up since re-signing last week."
Now, with Cooper gone, rookie wideout Dont'e Thornton is a lock to see significant snaps. It was believed that Cooper would, at the very least, eat into the rookie's playing time after he earned a starting role during the offseason.
Cooper's retirement comes following a 2024 campaign in which his numbers saw a huge decline. The former first-round pick tallied a career-low 547 yards and four touchdowns over his stints with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns.
This abrupt decision certainly won't do his legacy with the Raiders any favors.
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