Oct 20, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper (18) runs with the ball after making a catch against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

nfl

How Do the Amari Cooper and Kenny Pickett Signings Benefit the Las Vegas Raiders?

Monday was a pretty busy day for the Las Vegas Raiders. Not only did they secure the backup quarterback by trading for Kenny Pickett, but they also added wide receiver Amari Cooper to the receiver room.

With the deadline for the 53-man roster set at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Vegas had to act quickly. After finishing last season with a 4-13 record, the Raiders are still in the rebuilding phase, but quality additions in the offseason would give them confidence as we approach the start of the regular season.

Amari Cooper Returns to the Raiders

Wideout Amari Cooper left as an Oakland Raider and now returns to the same franchise, but to play for the city of Las Vegas. The 31-year-old was one of the top free agents still remaining on the market at the end of the 2024 season.

As per reports, Cooper has signed a one-year deal worth $3.5 million, but the contract comes with a maximum value of $6 million with $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses and incentives worth $2 million.

WR Amari Cooper returning to Raiders on 1-year deal. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/fJf8z3vuCS
— NFL (@NFL) August 25, 2025

Drafted with the fourth overall pick in 2015, Cooper’s first stint with the Raiders was quite a memorable one as he made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and 2016. Incidentally, the Raiders completed a deal with the former Bills’ receiver on the same day that WR1 Jakobi Myers requested a trade.

While Myers being traded is less than likely, if that does happen, a major part of the Raiders’ offense will flow through Cooper. However, the duo of Myers and Cooper would provide Geno Smith some much-needed offensive power.

Wild day for the Raiders 😅

– WR Jakobi Meyers requests trade
– Amari Cooper returns and signs 1-year deal
– Trade a 5th-Round pick for QB Kenny Pickett pic.twitter.com/xxOYbGxUe6
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 26, 2025

Add to that their second-year tight end, Brock Bowers, who had an amazing rookie season last year, and the Raiders’ pass-catching options look much brighter. The addition of rookie running back Ashton Jeanty provides them with improved play in the backfield, which means Vegas’ overall offense has the ability to cause trouble for opposing defenses.

Kenny Pickett Shores Up the Quarterback Room

The addition of Kenny Pickett to the quarterback room was an important one for the Raiders after they lost backup signal caller Aidan O’Connell for a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks.

O’Connell suffered a wrist injury in the final preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, and Vegas was left with only Geno Smith and rookie Cam Miller under center.

Browns trading QB Kenny Pickett to Raiders for 2026 5th-round pick. (via @RapSheet, @MikeGarafolo, @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/f4gYIwM7zr
— NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2025

Coach Pete Carroll made his intentions clear while speaking to the media that they would be in the market for an experienced quarterback. The Raiders traded a fifth-round pick from the 2026 NFL draft to the Browns in exchange for the former first-round draft pick.

Pickett has started 25 games in his three-year career thus far, and despite his career not panning out the way he would have liked, he has shown flashes of brilliance and should be a capable backup to Smith when required.

The Raiders, who begin their 2025 season with a road game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, September 7, have plenty of work to do in a tough AFC West division that has seen both the Chargers and Broncos improve considerably. The Chiefs are still the team to beat, but Vegas is doing its bit to try and close the gap.

Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Amari Cooper

Kenny Pickett

Las vegas Raiders

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!