A lot has changed since Amari Cooper last played for the Raiders.
When Cooper was traded to Dallas in 2018, the team was still in Oakland. Only left tackle Kolton Miller remains from that roster. The Raiders have changed coaching staffs and front office multiple times, and even added a new minority owner, Tom Brady.
"It's still the Raiders," Cooper said on Tuesday, via the Las Vegas Journal-Review. "It's nice. It's a good feeling, a full-circle moment. I'm excited about the opportunity, and I'm ready to embrace it."
Cooper inked a one-year contract this week to provide additional playmaking to a young wideout corps, led by Jakobi Meyers, who recently requested a trade.
The veteran receiver is coming off a down season. Hampered by injuries, he generated a career-low 547 receiving yards on 44 catches with four touchdowns in 14 games between Cleveland and Buffalo in 2024. He'd hit the 1,000-yard mark in five of the previous six seasons.
The question is whether last year was simply a product of an unstable situation, coupled with injuries, or an aging player on a steep spiral.
"Trust me, I still have some juice left," Cooper said. "I felt like this was the opportunity for me to show it."
In three and a half years in Oakland, Cooper generated 225 catches for 3,183 yards and 19 TDs over 52 games.
Cooper said he has something left to prove in his return.
"I always kind of had it in the back of my mind because when I was drafted here, I felt the expectations were high," Cooper said. "I felt like I did OK, but I always knew why I was drafted. You pick a guy in the top five, you expect him to really help change the organization and I felt like at times I showed flashes of doing that, but it wasn't to my expectations. This time around, I feel like I have unfinished business. I'm excited about it."
Cooper adds a boundary receiver who could complement Meyers -- assuming the Raiders don't change gears and trade him -- and star tight end Brock Bowers. The Raiders receiver corps is littered with young players, from third-year Tre Tucker to rookies Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech. The hope is that Cooper's arrival won't stunt the growth of any of the greenhorn wideouts. At the very least, Cooper's addition gives Geno Smith another veteran to rely on who can teach the young boys the ropes.
