Raiders’ newest wide receiver plans to be ready for Week 1 vs. Patriots

Wide receiver Amari Cooper wasn’t sure how much work he would be able to get done after flying from his home in Dallas to sign a one-year contract with the Raiders on Tuesday morning.

Cooper, 31, ended up on the field hours later with quarterback Geno Smith and the rest of his new teammates.

“I didn’t get any sleep at all,” Cooper said, laughing. “But that’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes.”

Cooper said he plans to take the field in the Raiders’ season opener against the Patriots on Sept. 7 despite having less than two weeks to learn a new offense. He knew he had to get to work right away.

“I have to get my legs back underneath me,” Cooper said. “That flight and the lack of sleep kind of did something to me, but I’ll be ready. I’m a professional at the end of the day and I know how much time we have until that first game. I’ll definitely be ready.”

New number

Cooper, who was drafted No. 4 overall by the Raiders in 2015 but was traded to the Cowboys in 2018, will wear No. 19 in his second stint with the franchise. It was originally announced he would wear No. 17, but No. 19 was freed up hours later when rookie sixth-round pick Tommy Mellott was waived.

“I wore No. 19 before and I wore No. 9 in college,” Cooper said. “There’s something about that nine on my jersey. Every time I’ve worn it, I’ve done some great things. (Coach Pete Carroll) knew I had worn No. 19 before, so he’s the one who told the equipment managers to give me the opportunity to wear it because at first it wasn’t available.”

Cooper wore No. 89 with the Raiders previously, but the team is now in a new city with an almost completely different roster. The only player still around from 2018 is left tackle Kolton Miller, who was a rookie that season.

Still, Cooper said it feels good to be back.

“It’s still the Raiders,” Cooper said. “It’s nice. It’s a good feeling, a full-circle moment. I’m excited about the opportunity and I’m ready to embrace it.”

He admitted he had thought about a reunion.

“I always kind of had it in the back of my mind because when I was drafted here, I felt the expectations were high,” said Cooper, who had 225 catches for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns in 52 games with the Raiders. “I felt like I did OK, but I always knew why I was drafted. You pick a guy in the top five, you expect him to really help change the organization and I felt like at times I showed flashes of doing that, but it wasn’t to my expectations. This time around, I feel like I have unfinished business. I’m excited about it.”

New experience

Cooper hasn’t been with a team since the end of last season, but said he has been staying ready in case an opportunity presented itself.

He’s been running routes on his own in addition to working out. He said he fielded calls throughout the offseason, but wanted to find the right fit before signing somewhere.

It was a new experience for Cooper. He had been traded several times in his career, but had never been a free agent.

“I didn’t really know what to expect, but I think it was a cool process,” Cooper said. “I got some time to sit back and reflect. Obviously, it’s been my longest offseason without doing things like (organized team activities), minicamp or training camp, really. So I’ve been chilling for a while in terms of being in the locker room, not really having that camaraderie for all those months. But hopping back out there, it just feels like riding a bike.”

The Raiders hope the transition continues to be smooth. Cooper said he still has plenty left in the tank, but also plans to be a mentor for the team’s young group of receivers.

“I’ve always been the type of guy to lead by example,” he said. “I do want to work on leading vocally as well because I believe when you marry the two together, that’s the best form of leadership. Years go by fast. I’m in year 11 now. You’ve got a couple rookies in the room, so I’ll be glad to kind of show them a couple of the tricks of the trade because there are nuances to the game on this level. So I’m excited about that.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.