The Las Vegas Raiders have some very promising pieces that could make them one of the more surprising offenses in the NFL. One area that could use a bit of a boost, however, is the wide receiver position, and there is a familiar face still available in free agency in Amari Cooper.
The Raiders drafted Cooper fourth overall in 2015 and, while he had a solid run with the franchise, having been named to a pair of Pro Bowls, the team would trade him away to the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. With little proven receivers behind Jakobi Meyers, adding Cooper would make some sense, but former Raiders offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy feels the team needs to stay away.
In an appearance on the Locked on Raiders podcast, Kennedy outlined why he believes the Raiders shouldn’t sign Cooper, feeling he didn’t want to be with the team during his first stint while also questioning his overall ability, via Marca.com:
“No. Let me preface this by saying that I remember when Amari was drafted. I was one of the first guys on the Raiders to interview him. I looked in his eyes and realized he didn’t want to be a Raider,” Kennedy said. “He didn’t enjoy his time in Oakland, that’s why he couldn’t wait to get out of there. … My point for Amari is [that] he never took the next step to develop his route-running skills. He is not a good route-running receiver. … That’s all Amari Cooper is, is a name. I don’t think they should do it.”
Kennedy is entitled to his opinion, and only he knows what he felt during that initial interview with Cooper during his rookie year. It is very possible that Cooper wasn’t happy being a member of the Raiders, but even if that were the case, it was a decade ago, and he is a different person now.
Questioning Cooper’s route-running ability, however, is a bit far from Kennedy, as the receiver is widely regarded as one of the absolute best route-runners in the NFL today and in recent memory. In the end, this is Kennedy’s view, but if the Raiders feel he can help this team and Cooper is open to returning, this remains a reunion that could potentially happen.
Raiders owner Mark Davis jokingly calls WR Dont’e Thornton the ‘Al Davis pick’
There isn’t a ton of experience in the Raiders’ wide receiver room, but there is certainly some talent with rookie Dont’e Thornton already turning some heads. In fact, his physical attributes even led owner Mark Davis to make a joke involving his father, the late, great Al Davis.
