Riley Cooper still looking for a job after Buccaneers say no

Riley Cooper won't be returning to the NFL anytime soon.

The former Eagles wide receiver, who didn't play at all last season after his release in February 2016, is leaving Tampa Bay without a contract after trying out with the Buccaneers.

Cooper attended the Buccaneers' rookie minicamp over the weekend hoping to earn an offseason roster spot, but was a victim of the team's depth at wide receiver. In addition to drafting Penn State receiver Chris Godwin in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft, the Buccaneers also signed former Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson during the offseason.

"I think it's getting tougher and tougher to make it," Buccaneers coach Dick Koetter told the Tampa Bay Times. "When you start thinking about, 'Yeah, we'd like to have this guy, but who do you want to let go?' -- not so easy."

Cooper spent six seasons with the Eagles, and during his breakout 2013 season, he had 47 catches for 835 yards and eight touchdowns. But Cooper's production fell in subsequent seasons, leading to his release in 2016.

Cooper, who is from Clearwater, bought a house a couple of hours north of Tampa back in March and has tried to remain focused on returning to the NFL. But he concedes that it has been tough.

"I was expecting to get picked up somewhere and I didn't," Cooper told reporters. "I thought the phone call would have came, but it didn't. I'm cool with it."

Unfortunately for Cooper, he also carries the baggage of a 2013 incident in which he was caught on video yelling a racial slur at a security guard during a Kenny Chesney concert at Lincoln Financial Field.

"I'm extremely apologetic about that," Cooper said. "I told everybody it was completely my fault. I'm so sorry about it. That's not the type of person I am."