For teams in need of wide receiver help, veteran Amari Cooper remains one of the top names left on the free-agent market after a few weeks.
Cooper spent the 2024 campaign with two teams. First, he appeared in six games with the Cleveland Browns before he was dealt to the Buffalo Bills at the NFL trade deadline.
Overall, it was a down year for Cooper, who is normally one of the more consistent wideouts in the NFL but tallied just 547 receiving yards and four touchdowns, with the former being the worst mark of his career. That has led some to wonder if Cooper is on the decline as he prepares to turn 31.
However, we also have to factor in the Browns’ putrid quarterback situation and having to get acclimated on the fly to a new team in Buffalo as explanations for Cooper’s struggles.
Amari Cooper prediction
When it comes to possible landing spots for Cooper in free agency, The Score’s Daniel Valente and Brenden Deeg predict the veteran wideout will land in a familiar place with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“After acquiring Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks, the Raiders appear set on competing for a playoff spot in 2025,” the outlet wrote. “A Cooper homecoming will help an offense that lacks playmakers outside Brock Bowers.”
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The Raiders have greatly improved their quarterback situation after having one of the worst in the NFL last season with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell.
The Geno Smith trade gives Las Vegas a legitimate starter, now all that’s left is to surround Smith with weapons. The Raiders are particularly thin at wide receiver, where Jakobi Meyers remains the team’s best.
Adding Cooper would give the Raiders the Meyers running mate they need and a No. 1 target on the outside, and those two would form a potent trio along with superstar tight end Brock Bowers.
Granted, there is risk that Cooper is not the same consistent wide receiver he once was, but with Meyers and Bowers also in the mix, they don’t need Cooper to carry the weight of the passing attack on his shoulders.
Not to mention, Cooper would be just a bridge option until the Raiders figure out a more permanent solution, something they will no doubt explore in the 2025 NFL Draft next month.
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