For much of the offseason, it wasn't hard to find takes and opinions suggesting the wide receiver-needy San Francisco 49ers go after a proven veteran like Amari Cooper.

Heck, Cooper was even tied to the Niners back in 2024 as part of Brandon Aiyuk's own trade/extension saga.

Then, with Aiyuk on the shelf with his ACL and MCL recovery entering training camp, San Francisco's subsequent wide receiver shortages put even more pressure on general manager John Lynch to make a move.

Instead of Cooper, though, the 49ers landed former Kansas City Chiefs wideout Skyy Moore and grabbed Marquez Valdes-Scantling off the Seattle Seahawks' scrap heap.

Cooper, a five-time Pro Bowler, remained a free agent late into training camp and into the preseason, ultimately joining forces with the franchise that originally drafted him back in Round 1, No. 4 overall, back in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders.

An initial assessment on the part of the Niners would suggest they whiffed on a would-be attempt to address a serious area of need.

However, on the Thursday prior to San Francisco's regular-season opener, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Cooper intends to retire, thereby ending a short-lived reunion with the Raiders:

Granted, had the 49ers inked the receiver instead of Vegas, only to see him retire a few days later, things wouldn't be drastically worse than what they would have been before. Aside from the fact the Niners would have some egg on their face while being out a few bucks.

Still, one can't help but think San Francisco avoided a headache by signing Cooper with the hope of him playing a vital role in a depleted receiver room, only to see him depart not even a month into his new contract.

The 49ers ultimately opted not to go down that road, and they look smart now because of it.