Cooper, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, has over 9,700 receiving yards and 62 touchdowns in his NFL career. The former Alabama product has recorded six seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards, including each of the last two full seasons (2022, 2023) in Cleveland.
Cooper is a five-time Pro Bowl selection, most recently earning the nod in the 2023 season where he recorded a career-high 1,250 yards and five touchdowns.
Bills QB Josh Allen gets another weapon added to his receiving core less than 24 hours after the Bills (4-2) beat the Jets 23-20 in Week 6. Allen has 1,160 passing yards and 10 passing touchdowns through six games this season.
This marks the second time in his career that Cooper has been traded midseason. In 2019, Cooper was dealt from the Raiders to the Cowboys on Oct. 22; Cooper had 674 receiving yards in seven regular season games with the Cowboys that season, an average of 96.3 yards per game.
Additionally, Bills WR coach Adam Henry worked with Cooper in Dallas during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Cooper led the Cowboys in receiving yards in 2020 (1,114) and was second on the team in 2021 (865). The Cowboys traded Cooper to the Browns on March 16, 2022.
During his first season in Cleveland, Cooper led the Browns in receiving yards (1,160), receptions (78) and a career-high nine receiving touchdowns.
In 2023, Cooper continued to be among the league's top WRs with a career-high 1,250 yards, including a 265-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Texans on Dec. 24.
The Bills' Quest for a Top Receiver
The Buffalo Bills have been searching for a true No. 1 wide receiver since trading Stefon Diggs to the conference-rival Houston Texans this past spring. They brought in rookie Keon Coleman early in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. General manager Brandon Beane also added veterans Mack Hollins, Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling for depth. But they were still without that true top target for star quarterback Josh Allen. Until now.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Bills have acquired five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. Rapoport goes on to report that the Browns are getting a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a seventh rounder in 2026. Buffalo acquires Cooper and a sixth-round pick next year.
Cooper's Stalemate with the Browns
Cooper, 30, was involved in a contract stalemate with Cleveland this past offseason. It was settled, with the former first-round pick from Alabama getting more in guarantees and incentives. Despite this, drama took hold between Cooper and the Browns after he was reportedly offered up to the San Francisco 49ers in trade talks surrounding fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The star receiver is slated to become a free agent this coming March.
Buffalo will only pay out the minimum remaining on Cooper’s contract after Cleveland restructured his deal during the offseason. That comes out to the remaining amount of $1.21 million.
Cooper's Impact on the Bills Offense
Despite boasting a 4-2 record after Monday’s win over the division-rival New York Jets, the Bills have some question marks on offense. Primarily, finding someone to replace the production we saw from Diggs prior to him being dealt to Houston. Tight end Dalton Kincaid is currently Buffalo’s top receiver. He’s tallied 21 catches for 217 yards. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir is the team’s top pass-catcher from that position with 20 receptions for 249 yards. Outside of that, no other member of the Bills has more than 12 receptions heading into Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans.
Even without that top target, Allen is playing at an MVP level. He’s accounted for 13 total touchdowns with zero interceptions through six games.
For his part, Cooper has been among the most-productive receivers in the league since the then-Oakland Raiders made him a top-five pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. From 2015-23 in stops with the Raiders, Dallas Cowboys and Browns; Cooper put up seven 1,000-yard seasons. This past year saw him catch 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns despite Cleveland’s questionable quarterback situation.
Cooper will now see an upgrade at quarterback with Allen tossing him the rock. The embattled Deshaun Watson has struggled big time for the one-win Browns this season. That should help when it comes to producing at a high level.
The Browns' Struggles Continue
As noted above, Cleveland has won just one game this season. The team ranks 30th in the league in scoring at 15.8 points per game. A lot of this has to do with the struggles of Watson under center. The embattled signal caller has produced five passing touchdowns against three interceptions in six starts this season. It had led to some speculation that the Browns might bench their high-priced signal caller. As of right now, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
“I think Deshaun gives us the best chance to win, continues to give us the best chance to win,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said following Cleveland’s 20-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Cleveland’s decision to stick with Watson is primarily due to the remaining figures on his fully-guaranteed $230 million contract. That includes a $172.7 million dead cap hit after the 2024 season. This is to say, the Browns are stuck with Watson.
From a broader roster standpoint, I could see this team blowing it up ahead of the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline. The likes of guard Joel Bitonio, tackle Jack Conklin, tight end David Njoku, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and cornerback Greg Newsome II are names we’ll likely see bandied about over the next three weeks.
For now, the Browns move in a different direction at wide receiver. Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman will be Watson’s top targets moving forward on the season. It’s not an ideal scenario as the Browns look to turn things around. That’s for sure.
The Bills' Super Bowl Hopes
The addition of Cooper gives the Bills a legitimate threat at wide receiver, adding another dimension to their already potent offense. With Allen at the helm, the Bills are a dangerous team capable of making a deep run in the playoffs. The addition of Cooper could be the final piece of the puzzle they need to make a Super Bowl run.
