The Las Vegas Raiders made a big-time move in the wide receiver room on Monday as they signed Amari Cooper to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million. The signing brings the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft back to the franchise that drafted him.
He was traded just three-and-a-half years into his career, however, in exchange for a first-round pick that turned into Johnathan Abram. The deal, which came less than two months after Khalil Mack was shipped out, left a bad taste in the mouths of plenty of Raiders fans. The two players shared an agent, Joel Segal, who was reportedly feuding with then-head coach Jon Gruden.
While many assumed that Cooper simply did not enjoy being a Raider, that was clearly not the case, as he chose to reunite with the franchise over several other opportunities. On his first day in the new facility in Las Vegas, he made all the right statements to appease Raider Nation.
Amari Cooper is saying all the right things after returning to the Raiders
Cooper appeared headed for superstardom during his first stint with the Raiders. He appeared in 52 games, recording 3,183 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns on 225 receptions, also earning Pro Bowl nods in three of his first four seasons.
However, his tenure is largely remembered for how it ended rather than the moments he produced. On Tuesday, he discussed wanting to finish what he started while speaking with Levi Edwards of Raiders.com.
"It was an opportunity to finish what I started. I think that was probably the main thing."Amari Cooper on return to Raiders
Cooper noted that playing for Pete Carroll and alongside Geno Smith and Maxx Crosby factored into his decision as well.
"I can tell he's a player's coach, an old-school coach. Obviously has a career history of winning," Cooper said. "I've always been a fan of Geno's game. I used to watch him a lot when he was in college. Maxx, everybody talks about how amazing of a player he is."
RELATED: Raiders just added another former Pete Carroll project after roster cuts
The five-time Pro Bowler later met with the local media, where he was asked if he always wanted to return.
"Yeah, honestly. I always kind of had that in the back of my mind because when I was drafted here, I felt like the expectations were high, and I felt like I did okay, but I always knew why I was drafted," Cooper said. "When you draft a guy in the top five, you expect him to come and really help change the organization. I felt like, at times, I showed flashes of doing that, but it wasn't to my expectations. So, like I said, this time around, I feel like I have unfinished business. I definitely see the opportunity, working with Geno, to be able to do some great things, so I'm excited about it."
While the franchise was still in Oakland during his first stint with the Silver and Black, Cooper noted that the Raiders are the Raiders whether they are in Los Angeles, Oakland or Las Vegas. He added that he believes re-joining the franchise gives him an opportunity to win and that he has plenty of juice left in the tank.
Cooper is coming off the worst season of his ten-year career as he finished with career lows in targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns. It should be noted, however, that he is just one year removed from a Pro Bowl season where he set his career-high in yards.
He has recorded 10,033 career receiving yards and 64 touchdowns on 711 receptions in the NFL. Cooper ranks 57th all-time in yards, 59th in receptions and 74th in touchdowns, while ranking ninth, 11th and tenth, respectively, among active players. His seven 1,000-yard seasons are tied for the second-most in the league since 2015.
If Cooper can recapture the magic of his first few seasons with the Silver and Black, then this investment was well worth it, both for the team and for Cooper, hopefully ending his career on the high note that it started on.