The Las Vegas Raiders and their wide receiving corps have suddenly become quite newsworthy. We noted yesterday how the Raiders’ top receiver, Jakobi Meyers, has opted to keep playing despite being in contract negotiations with the team. However, today’s news is not as positive for Las Vegas, as five-time Pro-Bowler Amari Cooper has abruptly retired from the NFL, just days before the season is to kick off.
This, obviously, is a problem for the Raiders. Their receiving personnel were weak to begin with, and now it’s down to just four men – Meyers, Dont’e Thornton Jr, Jack Bech, and Tre Tucker.
“It’s unfortunate because I think he’s a heck of a football player,” Las Vegas offensive co-ordinator Chip Kelly said today about the loss of Cooper. “… But he knows in his heart what he wants to do, so I wish him the best.”
Cooper had his worst season last year, with just 547 receiving yards and four touchdowns with Cleveland and Buffalo. But the Raiders, with whom Cooper played the first 3.5 years of his career, were counting on him being a big part of their offense and a mentor to the team’s young receivers.
“[Cooper and Thornton] will be doing a lot of the same stuff,” Carroll said earlier this season. “I think Amari’s way can affect [Thornton] and help him come along. There’s a lot of pressure for [Thornton] to be the only X over there that we’re kind of going with, and so I think this really balances us out well. And I hope it really suits Jack and Dont’e.”
Degenerate Spin: This probably won’t change much in the ways of betting on the Raiders, as not much was expected out of them this season (7.5 wins), and Cooper wasn’t going to be a massive difference maker. If you want to get in on the under on their win total, or at the very least fade them for Week 1 as they scramble to fill this hole, that would be a wise move.
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