Amari Cooper retires days after rejoining Raiders, says he 'no longer has the desire to play'

Amari Cooper abruptly retired from the NFL a little more than a week after signing a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, informing the team that he "no longer has the desire to play," according to NFL Network. The announcement came three days before the Raiders’ season opener at New England.

Cooper, 31, had agreed to rejoin the franchise that selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft when the club was based in Oakland. He signed the contract on Aug. 26 and said at the time that the move felt "full-circle" and that he was "ready to embrace it," adding, "I feel like this was the perfect opportunity to show that, trust me, I still got some juice left. I want to show it."

Cooper did not sign during the first wave of free agency this offseason, and his late August agreement with the Raiders appeared to resolve questions about his 2025 plans. He had been preparing for what would have been his 11th NFL season, but informed the team shortly before the opener that he would step away.

The decision follows a difficult 2024 season with the Cleveland Browns, which the club and Cooper characterized publicly as the lowest point of his recent playing career. The timing of the retirement — coming after Cooper publicly expressed enthusiasm about returning to the organization that drafted him — surprised teammates and league observers.

Cooper’s return to the Raiders had been framed as a reunion and a chance for the veteran receiver to re-establish his role in an offense familiar to him from earlier in his career. He was an early first-round pick in 2015 and spent his initial seasons with the Raiders before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys and later signing with the Browns.

The Raiders now face a late roster adjustment just days before the regular-season opener. The club had listed Cooper on its roster after the Aug. 26 signing and had integrated him into preseason preparations. The team has not released an extended comment through league media channels regarding the roster implications of his decision.

Cooper’s retirement adds to a recent string of veteran departures leaguewide and closes the chapter on an 11-year career that began when he was selected fourth overall in the 2015 draft. He had publicly expressed excitement about returning to the Raiders and about showing he still had "some juice left" when he signed in late August.

The Raiders begin their season on the road against New England. Cooper’s late decision leaves the organization with less time than usual to adjust its receiving corps and game plan for the opener, and it will likely shape short-term depth decisions as the team moves into the regular season.

The Raiders and Cooper join a larger NFL conversation about veteran players reassessing careers and workloads, though Cooper’s announcement came without a detailed public explanation beyond his statement about losing the desire to play. Further details, including whether Cooper might pursue opportunities outside the NFL or reconsider his decision, have not been reported.

League sources relayed the information to NFL Network; neither the Raiders nor Cooper released an extensive public statement immediately following the report. The move ends, for now, Cooper’s latest attempt to continue his NFL playing career and closes the immediate chapter on his planned return to Las Vegas ahead of Week 1.