Chip Kelly has had a busy week entering his first season as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator. Kelly is back in the NFL after coaching the UCLA Bruins and winning the national championship last season as the Ohio State Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator. On Monday, Kelly’s best receiver, Jakobi Meyers, requested a trade after he and the Raiders failed to come to an agreement on an extension. The Raiders quickly announced they would not be trading Meyers, but just a few hours later, Las Vegas signed wideout Amari Cooper to fill out its wide receiver room.
This is Cooper’s second stint with the Raiders but first in Las Vegas, as he played in Oakland from 2015-2018 before he was shipped out to the Dallas Cowboys. In his first Raiders tenure, Cooper tallied 225 receptions, 3,183 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns from scrimmage.
Reports have Cooper’s deal as a one-year, $6 million deal that will help cover any potential absence from Meyers as he attempts to find a new deal. Cooper had a quiet 2024 season but USA TODAY’s Jack McKessy explains that it wasn’t all Cooper’s fault.
“Cooper, 31, is coming off of the least productive season of his career. The 10-year NFL veteran finished the season with 44 catches for 547 receiving yards and four touchdowns, all of which were career lows.
The lack of production from the former No. 4 overall pick can be explained in part by the lack of quality quarterback play during the first half of the season, while he was still on the Browns. The other factor in Cooper’s subpar year could be attributed to the difficulty in learning a new playbook and finding a role in a new offense after Cleveland traded him to the Bills.” McKessy wrote.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Raiders sign Amari Cooper for Chip Kelly following Jakobi Meyers’ trade request
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
