The Las Vegas Raiders continue to shore up the roster as they made a splash signing, agreeing to terms with Amari Cooper.
Cooper signed a one-year deal to return to the Raiders, the franchise that drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Cooper enjoyed early success with the organization before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys, and later spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills.
Cooper is coming off a subpar year split between Cleveland and Buffalo, making him an afterthought in free agency. However, Las Vegas is betting on Cooper finding his groove back in a lesser role on the offense.
After signing his deal, Cooper emphasized he still has something left in the tank via Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“Trust me, I still have some juice left,” Cooper said. “I felt like this was the opportunity for me to show it.”
Cooper also admitted he feels like he didn’t accomplish everything he wanted to in his first stint with the Silver and Black:
“I always kind of had it in the back of my mind because when I was drafted here, I felt the expectations were high,” Cooper said. “I felt like I did OK, but I always knew why I was drafted. You pick a guy in the top five, you expect him to 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. I’m excited about it.”
Cooper is beyond his prime years now and may struggle to find consistent snaps, but he’s at least a valuable depth piece who can come in and help stretch the field. Injuries have hampered the former star, but if he’s healthy, he should at least return some modest production.
Cooper’s addition gives head coach Pete Carroll and Geno Smith another weapon to utilize, though the pass game should still be funneled through Brock Bowers. Cooper’s return makes for a fun story, and it’ll be interesting to see just how much juice he has left.
Jakobi Meyers requested trade prior to Amari Cooper signing
Amari Cooper’s signing could make Jakobi Meyers want out even more, as he recently requested a trade from the Raiders. Meyers seems to be disgruntled over his contract situation, though he made his trade request before Cooper signed.
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