On Aug. 25, Amari Cooper signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, who drafted him fourth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Just over a week later, the wide receiver called it quits, announcing his retirement, as reported by NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
This marks the end of Cooper’s 10-year NFL career, which spanned multiple teams, including the Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Buffalo Bills. He finished his career with 711 receptions for 10,033 yards and 64 touchdowns. He earned five Pro Bowl selections.
However, before he turned heads in the NFL, he was a college star at the University of Alabama. Let’s look at how he fared with Nick Saban’s team.
Raiders WR Amari Cooper to retire from NFL after 10-year career. (via @RapSheet, @TomPelissero, @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/2iF3BWme7Z
— NFL (@NFL) September 4, 2025
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Amari Cooper’s College Stats
In 2012, Amari Cooper signed with the University of Alabama as a four-star recruit out of Miami Northwestern High School. At the time, several websites ranked him around No. 45 nationally and among the top high school stars in Florida.
He featured in all 14 games and started in nine during his freshman season, which culminated in a national championship. He caught 59 receptions for 1,000 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, as he led the program in several offensive categories. With 11 TDs, he broke a 62-year-old record. Alabama won the national championship that year.
His sophomore season saw him miss two games because of injuries. Despite that, he managed to catch 45 receptions for 736 yards and four touchdowns.
He had his breakout year in his junior season, where he broke multiple programs’ single-season records, including 124 receptions for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns. Moreover, he was the SEC’s top receiver and ranked second in the nation. He recorded 224-yard receiving games twice, which were single-game highs for the program. He also posted 13 receptions in a game twice, another school record.
His efforts were celebrated with the prestigious Biletnikoff Award for college football’s top receiver. He came out third in Heisman voting.
In his three seasons with Alabama, spanning from 2012 to 2014, he finished his college career with 228 receptions, 3,463 yards, and 31 touchdowns. His 3,463 receiving yards rank second all-time in Alabama history. Only DeVonta Smith is ahead of him in that category.
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