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Raiders exercise fifth-year option on WR Amari Cooper

OAKLAND, Calif. — This officially won’t be a contract year for Amari Cooper.

The Raiders made a widely anticipated move Monday, exercising a fifth-year team option on the wide receiver. The move extended Cooper’s contract through the 2019 campaign. Despite the added year, this upcoming season remains significant for the two-time Pro Bowler.

Cooper, a 2015 No. 4 overall pick, is a candidate for a contract extension next offseason.

Before stating his case for compensation, he’ll hope to demonstrate better consistency. Injuries have played a role, but he had a quiet finish to each of his first two NFL campaigns. In 2017, he largely struggled aside from am 11-catch, 210-yard, two-score breakout game in Week 8 versus the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cooper caught 48 of 96 passes for 680 yards and seven touchdowns last season, all career lows. According to Pro Football Focus, he dropped a pass on 17.2 percent of his catchable targets, the worst mark in the league.

More Raiders: Follow all of our Raiders coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Raiders and @NFLinVegas on Twitter.

Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.

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