The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t really done a whole lot to address their ailing offense this offseason. Yes, they swung a trade for quarterback Geno Smith, but in terms of weapons, they are severely lacking.
The Raiders entered free agency with substantial cap space, but were unable to add any playmakers. Now, the market has mostly dried up, but there are still a couple of interesting names available.
Austin Boyd of Just Blog Baby has identified one in particular, citing wide receiver Amari Cooper—who spent the first three-and-a-half years of his career with the Raiders—as a possibility.
“He may not be interested in coming back to the Raiders considering how things ended but the only player left on the team from his time there is Kolton Miller and it’s a completely different coaching staff,” Boyd wrote. “It would make a lot of sense for the Raiders to bring him back for another season.”
Cooper put together a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns in the Silver and Black, but persistent issues with drops caused the fans to turn on him. It also resulted in the University of Alabama product being traded to the Dallas Cowboys midway through the 2018 season.
The 30-year-old has made five Pro Bowls throughout his career, most recently making a trip in 2023 after hauling in 72 receptions for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns with the Cleveland Browns.
However, this past year, Cooper had the least productive campaign of his NFL tenure, finishing with 44 catches for 547 yards and four scores in 14 games between the Browns and the Buffalo Bills.
Is it possible that Cooper declined that quickly within one year? Maybe, but perhaps a change of scenery is actually what the former first-round pick really needs.
Las Vegas absolutely needs another wide out alongside of Jakobi Meyers, and while Cooper may no longer be the most ideal option at this stage of his career, he may be worth a one-year flier.
