HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders made two decisions in the interest of solidifying their receiver room Monday.
First, a team source confirmed to The Athletic that the team had denied a trade request by receiver Jakobi Meyers. A short time later, news broke that they were signing free-agent wideout Amari Cooper on a one-year deal. A league source confirmed the Cooper deal.
After approaching the Las Vegas Raiders in search of a contract extension and failing to come to an agreement, Meyers has requested a trade. But the Raiders declined.
Meyers is in the final year of his deal and is set to make a base salary of $10.5 million this season. He’ll turn 29 in November and will become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason if he doesn’t get an extension.
Why Meyers asked for a trade
It’s no surprise that Meyers wants a new deal as he’s coming off the best season of his career. He caught 87 passes for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns in 2024.
After receiver Davante Adams requested a trade just four games into the 2024 season and subsequently headed to the New York Jets, the Raiders asked Meyers to step up as their No. 1 receiver. Despite poor quarterback play, he rose to the occasion.
The receiver market has spiked dramatically this year, which has turned the contract Meyers signed in 2023 into a bargain. According to Spotrac, his average annual contract value of $11 million is tied with Allen Lazard for 32nd among receivers.
The Raiders, Steelers, Vikings and Jets continue to scour the veteran wide receiver market ahead of roster cutdown day, sources say. https://t.co/PmLQLM687z
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 25, 2025
It’s worth noting that general manager John Spytek and coach Pete Carroll have shown a willingness to extend roster holdovers from the previous regime. They signed defensive end Maxx Crosby to a massive three-year, $106.5 million extension in March and signed left tackle Kolton Miller to a three-year, $66 million extension in July.
The difference with Meyers is that the Raiders may have already drafted his replacement in second-round pick Jack Bech. One of the primary reasons the rookie has been stuck with the backups is that his skill set overlaps with Meyers.
While Bech spent time playing on the outside in college, his best work came in the slot. Meyers can line up outside, but he’s spent most of his time working from the slot during OTAs, training camp and the preseason.
It’s hard to find snaps for Bech with Meyers being a superior player at this point in his career, but he could be a cheaper alternative for the Raiders as soon as next year. As much as the situation is about Meyers wanting more money in the immediate future, this could also be a situation where he’s reading the writing on the wall and sees what drafting Bech could mean for him long term.
“I want to be here for sure, but that’s all I can really say on it right now,” Meyers said of a potential extension in May. “That’s business between us and the top floor, so I’ma just hold that one down for now.”
Why adding Cooper makes sense
With Meyers and tight end Brock Bowers, the Raiders have a couple of great receiving options to line up in the slot. Their outside receiver situation, however, looked precarious going into the season.
Their starters on the outside have been Tre Tucker and Dont’e Thornton since OTAs. Tucker is a solid player, but his lack of size has been a limiting factor, and he’s struggled with drops in the past. And while Thornton has a ton of physical talent, he remains a raw rookie who’s still working to become more consistent.
With that in mind, Cooper provides the Raiders with some much-needed depth. The veteran had a down year in 2024 — he caught 44 passes for 547 yards and four touchdowns — but he was a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver as recently as 2023. If he can return to form, he’ll provide be a major upgrade for the Raiders.
This is a reunion for Cooper and the Raiders, who drafted him fourth overall in 2015. He was a productive player who made the Pro Bowl three times in his four seasons with the Raiders. There was once some bad blood between him and the franchise after they traded him to the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, but plenty has changed since then. After all, that was three head coaches and general managers ago.
(Photo of Amari Cooper playing for Buffalo last season: Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
