The New England Patriots just caught a break ahead of their season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Just days before kickoff, one of the veteran additions brought in to help the Raiders' revamped offense has called it quits and decided to retire rather than play out the 2025 campaign in Vegas. After agreeing to a contract with the franchise that drafted him just over a week ago, veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper has changed course completely and will now officially retire from professional football at the age of 31.
With Cooper brought into the fold by Pete Carroll and company to offset the trade request from Jakobi Meyers, New England's Week 1 opponent now finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place as the Raiders scramble to put together an offensive game plan.
Simply put, this is a game that head coach Mike Vrabel and the new regime in charge of the Patriots cannot afford to let slip away.
Pats Have No Excuses Against Raiders After Amari Cooper's Retirement
Even if an unhappy Meyers suits up and takes the field this Sunday when Las Vegas and New England meet at Gillette Stadium, the Raiders' wide receiver room remains in shambles beyond him.
The only other wideouts on the active roster as of this writing are 2023 third-round pick Tre Tucker, who has 66 career catches for 870 receiving yards and five touchdowns to his name, 2025 fourth-round pick Dont'e Thornton Jr., and 2025 second-round pick Jack Bech.
With a complete lack of proven commodities on the outside, the Patriots' defense should be able to pay extra attention to, arguably, the best playmakers on Las Vegas' roster: TE Brock Bowers and rookie RB Ashton Jeanty.
While the potential absence of Christian Gonzalez would undoubtedly hurt New England's secondary, the Patriots' defense should have more than enough talent at its disposal to neutralize anything that Raiders QB Geno Smith and the offense try.
Cooper's retirement is a last-minute gift for Vrabel and the New England coaching staff. Now, the Patriots must treat it as such and not let it slip away.