Cooper, Raiders Have Unfinished Business

The Las Vegas Raiders have made several surprising moves over the past few weeks, but signing veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper may rank as the biggest surprise move the Raiders' new front office has made so far.

Following his first practice with the Raiders, Cooper explained what he hopes to bring to the team this season.

"Yeah, just leadership. Always been a type of guy to lead by example. 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," Cooper said.

"So, like I said, years go by fast. I'm in year 11 now. You 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."

Unfinished Business

Cooper expressed his feelings on rejoining the Raiders after years away. The veteran feels he could have done more for the organization the first time around. Cooper knows he has more to accomplish with the Silver and Black.

"I always kind of had that in the back of my mind because when I was drafted here, I felt like the expectations were high. I felt like I did okay but always knew why I was drafted. You draft a guy top five, you expect them to come and really help change the organization," Cooper said.

And I felt like at times, I showed flashes of doing that, but it wasn't to my expectations. So, like I said, this time around, I feel like I have unfinished business. I definitely see the opportunity working with Geno [Smith] to be able to do some great things, so I'm excited about it."

Things are much different at the Raiders' facility than they were when Cooper last played for the Silver and Black, primarily the location and facility itself. The Raiders were still in California when Cooper last played for them. Still, Cooper feels the Raiders are the Raiders regardless of location.

"I mean, the Raiders are the Raiders, right? Whether they're in LA, Oakland or Vegas," Cooper said.

"It's a night and day difference, honestly, in terms of the facility. It's always good to have a great facility. Guys feel more comfortable with a better facility, so it is of extreme importance, honestly."

The Raiders hope Cooper's return can help spark their turnaround on the field. The move potentially helps them off the field as well, as things play out between the franchise and veteran wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.

It has been reported that the Raiders' addition of Cooper was not in response to Meyers trade request, but the National Football League is a business.

On paper, it is not hard to conclude that Raiders signing Cooper hours after Meyers' trade request went public appears to be more than just a coincidence.

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