Pharoh Cooper (born March 7, 1995) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

, and was selected by the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

in the fourth round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

. He was also a member of the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Early life

Cooper's father, grandfather, and brother all served in the

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

. Cooper attended Havelock High School in

Havelock, North Carolina Havelock is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, Craven County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 20,735 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. The city is home to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, the world's lar ...

. He played

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

, and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. He was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit. He committed to the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

to play

College career

Cooper attended and played college football for the

. He was originally a defensive back before moving to wide receiver prior to the start of his freshman season. He played in 11 of 13 games his freshman season. He had three receptions for 54 receiving yards, 202 rushing yards, one rushing

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

and also completed two of three pass attempts for 29 yards and a touchdown. Against

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

during his sophomore year in 2014, Cooper set the school single-game receiving yards record with 233. In the 2014 Independence Bowl against the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

, he had nine receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown and was named the game's MVP. For the season, Cooper appeared in all 13 games and was named first team All-SEC after recording 69 receptions for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran for 200 yards with two rushing touchdowns and passed for 78 yards and two touchdowns. As a junior in 2015, Cooper had 873 receiving yards along with 111 rushing yards with 9 total touchdowns. He also had 55

return Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

yards on 12 punt return opportunities. After his junior year, he announced his intentions to enter the

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

Cooper was drafted by the

in the fourth round with the 117th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. On June 9, 2016, Cooper signed a four-year contract with the team. He played in 10 games with three starts in his rookie season, recording 14 receptions for 106 yards while fulfilling kick return and occasional punt return duties. Following a 16–10 loss to Seattle in Week 5 of 2017, Cooper replaced a struggling

Tavon Austin Tavon Wesley Austin (born March 15, 1990) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, receiving first-team All-American honors twice and was selected by the St. Loui ...

as the Rams' primary return man. In Week 6 of the 2017 season, Cooper scored the first NFL touchdown of his career with a 103-yard kick return touchdown to start the game in a 27–17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. On December 19, 2017, Cooper was selected to the

2018 Pro Bowl The 2018 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2017 NFL season, 2017 season, which was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on January 28, 2018. For the first time since 2009, the game started during af ...

as a return specialist. On September 12, 2018, Cooper was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

after suffering an ankle injury in Week 1. He was activated off injured reserve on November 19, 2018. On December 18, 2018, Cooper was released by the Rams.

Arizona Cardinals (first stint)

On December 19, 2018, Cooper was claimed off waivers by the

. Appearing in two games, he returned six punts for 67 yards. On August 30, 2019, Cooper was released by the Cardinals.

Cincinnati Bengals

On September 1, 2019, Cooper was claimed off waivers by the

. He saw limited action in the Bengals' season-opening 21–20 loss at the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, but recorded no receptions or yards. After being inactive for Week 2's game against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, Cooper was waived on September 17, 2019.

Arizona Cardinals (second stint)

On October 1, 2019, Cooper was re-signed by the Cardinals.

Carolina Panthers

On March 20, 2020, Cooper signed a one-year contract with the

Jacksonville Jaguars

On June 3, 2021, Cooper signed a contract with the

. He was released on August 31, 2021.

New York Giants

On November 3, 2021, Cooper was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

. For Week 9 game against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

Cooper was elevated from the practice squad. Cooper was activated from the practice squad as a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

replacement for the games against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

and the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. On December 4, 2021, Cooper was elevated from the practice squad for the game against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. On December 11, 2021, Cooper was activated from the practice squad as a COVID-19 replacement for the game against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. His contract expired when the team's season ended on January 9, 2022.

Arizona Cardinals (third stint)

On November 23, 2022, the Cardinals signed Cooper to their practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 28. On June 10, 2024, Cooper announced his retirement from professional football.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

South Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Pharoh 1995 births Living people American football return specialists American football running backs American football wide receivers People from Havelock, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina South Carolina Gamecocks football players Los Angeles Rams players Arizona Cardinals players Cincinnati Bengals players National Conference Pro Bowl players Carolina Panthers players Jacksonville Jaguars players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen New York Giants players