Why Amari Cooper is retiring from the NFL. Real reason behind Raiders star's sudden decision

Amari Cooper has called it a day. The Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver on Thursday informed the team that he intends to retire.

Updated on: Sep 5, 2025, 24:03:12 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Amari Cooper has called it a day. The Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver on Thursday informed the team that he intends to retire, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo reported. The 31-year-old had signed a one-year deal with Las Vegas last month. He also played for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Buffalo Bills for over 10 years.

Amari Cooper has decided to retire from the NFL (X)

The five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver finishes his career with 711 receptions for 10,033 yards with 64 touchdowns. While the exact motivations behind his decision remain unconfirmed pending further statements, several factors may have contributed to this abrupt departure.

Why did Amari Cooper retire?

Cooper, as per reports, informed the Raiders he does not want to play football anymore. The star WR, however, did not reveal his future plans. Only last week, the 31-year-old told reporters, "Trust me, I still got some juice left."

“I always had (a return) in the back of my mind because I was drafted here,” Cooper said after signing with the Raiders.

“I felt like the expectations were high, and I felt like I did OK. But I always knew you draft a guy in the top five, you really expect them to come and change the organization. I felt like at times I showed flashes of doing that, but it wasn’t to my expectations. So this time around, I feel like I have unfinished business.”

He had 44 catches for 547 yards and four TDs last season for the Browns and the Buffalo Bills. Cooper was picked by the Raiders in 2015. He played for them until being traded to Dallas in October 2018 for a first-round pick. He has exceeded 1,000 receiving yards seven times, most recently two years ago for Cleveland, when Cooper had 72 catches for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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