In a stunning twist on the eve of the NFL season, wide receiver and five-time Pro Bowl selection Amari Cooper has informed the Las Vegas Raiders of his decision to retire. The notification was made to coach Pete Carroll just days before the team's 2025 season opener against the New England Patriots.

Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly confirmed that Cooper called in the morning to communicate that he was ending his career. "It's unfortunate because I think he's a heck of a football player," Kelly said. "... But he knows in his heart what he wants to do, so I wish him the best."

The decision is especially unexpected because Cooper had just signed a one-year deal with the organization on August 26. The 31-year-old player had said that returning to the Raiders—the team that drafted him 4th overall in 2015 when the franchise was still in Oakland—was a "full-circle moment" and that he still had "some juice left."

General Manager John Spytek said last week that the team anticipated Cooper having a "big part" in the game plan against the Patriots. "He was training with us and getting reps," Kelly said on Thursday. "I think, for everybody, you're not making your final [48-man game-day roster] decisions until Saturday anyway. So, we hadn't had any discussions."

Pete Carroll, who played a significant role in recruiting Cooper to Las Vegas, had expected the veteran to play as an outside wide receiver while mentoring rookies Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech. "[Cooper and Thornton] would have been doing a lot of the same stuff," Carroll said. "I think Amari's way can affect [Thornton] and help him develop... I hope it really suits Jack and Dont'e."

Cooper's departure leaves the Raiders' wide receivers room reduced to Bech, Thornton, Tre Tucker, and Jakobi Meyers—who recently requested a trade due to an ongoing contract dispute. The team also has Justin Shorter, Shedrick Jackson, and training camp standout Alex Bachman on the practice squad.

Thornton, a projected starter, said it was a "starstruck" feeling to have been in the locker room with Cooper in the short time they were together and that he tried to ask the veteran as many questions as possible. "One of the best receivers to ever do it," Thornton said of him.

In 52 games for the franchise, Cooper totaled 225 receptions for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons. The Raiders traded him to the Dallas Cowboys during the 2018 season, who then traded him to the Cleveland Browns in 2022. Last October, he was acquired by the Buffalo Bills.

In 2024, Cooper had 44 receptions for 547 yards (a 12.4 average) and four touchdowns in 14 games (10 starts).