Former Bama WR Retires From the NFL Days Before Season Opener

On Thursday, former Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper notified the Las Vegas Raiders of his decision to retire, just days before the start of the 2025-2026 NFL season. The NFL Network was the first to report this news.

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Cooper's decision to retire comes after he signed a one-year deal with the Raiders on August 26th. He expressed that returning to the organization that drafted him as the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft marked a "full circle moment." The 31-year-old wide receiver also stated that he still had "some juice left in the tank."

Cooper played for the University of Alabama from 2012 to 2014, helping the Crimson Tide secure the 2012 BCS National Championship. He won the Biletnikoff Award, which honors the nation's top college receiver, and received unanimous All-American recognition in 2014. That same year, he was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Over his three seasons in Tuscaloosa, Cooper recorded 228 receptions, gained 3,463 receiving yards, and scored 31 touchdowns.

The former Alabama standout wide receiver enjoyed a long and successful NFL career that lasted a decade. He played three seasons with the Raiders before being traded to the Cowboys in 2018, where he spent the next four seasons. In 2022, he was traded to the Browns and played there for three seasons. Midway through last season, he was traded to the Buffalo Bills. This offseason, just under a month before the season started, he reunited with the Raiders.

Cooper recorded seven 1,000-yard seasons during his time in the NFL, and he went on to appear in 154 games, recording 10,033 total receiving yards with 711 receptions and 64 receiving touchdowns in his career.

This decision not only shocked fans, but it also left the Raiders' front office and head coach Pete Carroll confused. Carroll had suggested that Cooper would play a significant role in the Raiders' offense this season. However, it seems that this will not be the case, as Cooper announced his retirement on Thursday.

"[Cooper and Thornton] will be doing a lot of the same stuff," Carroll said. "I think Amari's way can affect [Thornton] and help him come along. There's a lot of pressure for [Thornton] to be the only X over there that we're kind of going with, and so I think this really balances us out well. And I hope it really suits Jack and Dont'e."

The Raiders' receiver corps now consists of Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr., Tre Tucker, and Jacobi Meyers. Meyers requested a trade recently, despite an ongoing contract dispute with the Raiders.

Las Vegas will face the New England Patriots this Sunday, September 7, at Gillette Stadium to kick off the 2025-2026 season.

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