The Patriots have been preparing for their season opener against the Raiders on Sunday, a matchup that has them currently favored to walk out with the win for the first time in over a year. They were the consistent underdogs throughout the 2024 season, but the Mike Vrabel effect has already improved their odds of adding more wins than they did over the last two years.
The game against the Raiders, however, is not expected to be a cake walk. The return of Pete Carroll as an NFL head coach, along with quarterback Geno Smith has put their team more on the radar than they have in recent history, with a dominant defense to put them over the top.
It will be a challenging day for the newly upgraded New England offense, especially the offensive line, as they attempt to slow down a player like Maxx Crosby. The same can be said about the secondary, with cornerback Christian Gonzalez appearing to be missing the game.
But in an unexpected twist of fate, the Patriots were just given a huge advantage leading up to Sunday that the Raiders were clearly not prepared for.
Amari Cooper's exit is a gift to the Patriots' defense ahead of Week 1
In perhaps the most shocking news ahead of the start of an NFL season, recently signed wide receiver Amari Cooper has reportedly informed the Raiders that he no longer wants to play football and will be retiring rather than continuing his career in Las Vegas.
Comeback no more: #Raiders WR Amari Cooper has informed the team that he no longer has the desire to play and intends to retire, per The Insiders.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 4, 2025
Cooper had signed at the end of camp in a hopeful reunion with the team that drafted. Now, he’s headed home from Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/jEZHPHBPBq
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Although he's not the same player he once was, Cooper immediately boosted the Raiders' offense to a new level, as he joined only Jakobi Meyers as a legitimate threat in their receiving corps ahead of their Patriots' matchup.
However, now that won't be an issue for the home team, and they'll now have to focus their efforts on the impressive tight end duo of Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer instead.
That won't be an easy task, but it's certainly a whole lot easier if they don't have to also account for Cooper throughout the game.
This is not a great way for the Raiders to start their season, but at the same time, perhaps this is a better turn of events than Cooper deciding to retire during halftime or mid-season.