Amari Cooper

Cooper is the son of Michelle Green and grew up in Miami, Florida. Outside of football, he is an avid chess player, having developed a passion for the game during elementary school in northwest Miami. He frequently applied chess strategies and tactical thinking to his route running and technique on the football field.

His chess abilities led him to participate in competitive events alongside other professional athletes. In 2022, Cooper competed in Chess.com's BlitzChamps, an online rapid chess tournament featuring NFL players, where he advanced to the finals and finished in second place behind cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

Cooper attended Miami Northwestern Senior High School, where he played alongside quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and competed in track and basketball. After an impressive showing at an Alabama summer camp, he earned an offer from head coach Nick Saban and committed to the University of Alabama in September 2011.

As a true freshman in 2012, Cooper broke Julio Jones's Alabama freshman receiving records, totaling 59 receptions for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. He caught two touchdowns in Alabama's 42-14 victory over Notre Dame in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. As a sophomore in 2013, he recorded a school-record 99-yard touchdown reception from quarterback A. J. McCarron against Auburn in the Iron Bowl.

Cooper delivered a historic junior campaign in 2014, leading the NCAA with an SEC-record 124 receptions while posting 1,727 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. He became Alabama's all-time career leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. For his performance, Cooper won the Fred Biletnikoff Award and the Paul Warfield Trophy, earned unanimous All-American honors, and finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

The Oakland Raiders selected Cooper with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. In his debut season, he became the first rookie in Raiders franchise history to record 1,000 receiving yards, totaling 72 catches for 1,070 yards and earning PFWA All-Rookie Team and Pro Bowl honors. He followed with another Pro Bowl selection in 2016 after catching 83 passes for 1,153 yards.

Midway through the 2018 season, Oakland traded Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2019 first-round draft pick. He made an immediate impact in Dallas, highlighted by a 217-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, which helped the Cowboys secure the NFC East title and earned Cooper his third Pro Bowl selection.

In March 2020, Cooper signed a five-year contract extension with Dallas. Despite changes at quarterback throughout the 2020 campaign, he set a career high with 92 receptions for 1,114 yards. Across his three and a half seasons with Dallas, he produced two 1,000-yard receiving years and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2019.

In March 2022, Dallas traded Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. He caught nine touchdowns in 2022 and posted 1,250 receiving yards in 2023, becoming the first wide receiver in Browns franchise history to record consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. On December 24, 2023, he set the Browns single-game franchise record with 265 receiving yards against the Houston Texans, joining Terrell Owens as only the second player in NFL history to record a 200-plus-yard receiving game for three different franchises.

Cleveland traded Cooper to the Buffalo Bills in October 2024. During a Week 13 game against the San Francisco 49ers, he caught a pass from Josh Allen and lateraled the ball back to Allen for a score, creating a play where the quarterback recorded both a passing and receiving touchdown. Cooper finished the 2024 season with 44 catches for 547 yards.

Cooper signed a one-year deal to return to the Las Vegas Raiders in August 2025. On September 4, 2025, he announced his retirement from professional football, concluding a 10-season NFL career with 711 receptions, 10,033 receiving yards, and 64 receiving touchdowns.