The Las Vegas Raiders traded away All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams last season, which left a gaping hole in their wide receiver room. Ahead of the 2025 campaign, Jakobi Meyers is expected to be the top target, who is coming off a career year.
However, outside of Meyers, the wide receiver room is filled with unproven players or rookies, so the team could stand to add another pass-catcher to this group. Many outlets have suggested free agent Amari Cooper as a potential option.
Cooper was drafted by the Raiders with the No. 4 overall pick in 2015, so his signing with Las Vegas would be a reunion. He left the organization in disgrace his first time around, but the team has changed cities and leadership several times since then.
Legendary Raiders offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, however, had a different opinion. He had harsh words for Cooper on the "Locked On Raiders Podcast" about a potential reunion happening.
"No. Let me preface this by saying that I remember when Amari was drafted. I was one of the first guys on the Raiders to interview him. I looked in his eyes and realized he didn't want to be a Raider," Kennedy said. "He didn't enjoy his time in Oakland, that's why he couldn't wait to get out of there. ... My point for Amari is [that] he never took the next step to develop his route-running skills. He is not a good route-running receiver. ... That's all Amari Cooper is, is a name. I don't think they should do it."
Cooper had a successful start to his career in Oakland, as he made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons and finished third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. After a dip in production in his third season, however, he forced his way out in 2018.
Since then, he has made stops with the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. Last season, he was traded from Cleveland to Buffalo and recorded just 44 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns between the two teams.
Las Vegas could certainly use a player like Cooper, who is just one year removed from a Pro Bowl campaign in 2023 with the Browns. But as Kennedy pointed out, it may not be a smart move to sign a player who does not want to be a Raider.
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