The Buffalo Bills won’t be outdone after their division rivals, the New York Jets, traded for Davante Adams. The AFC East leaders traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round selection. In return, the Bills gave the Cleveland Browns a 2025 third-rounder and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Cooper is coming off a Pro Bowl season, finishing with 72 receptions for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. This season, the former Alabama standout has 25 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns in six games.
Cooper’s arrival is a much-needed boost for the Bills' passing game, which has been missing a bona fide top-tier receiver since Stefon Diggs left for the Houston Texans. The five-time Pro Bowler will be the Bills’ leading receiver even before playing a game because Khalil Shakir has 249 receiving yards.
The Bills will be Cooper’s fourth team in ten NFL seasons. The Oakland Raiders selected him fourth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he lasted with the AFC West squad for three and a half seasons. Six games into the 2018 season, the Raiders traded Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2019 first-round pick.
Full compensation update, per source:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 15, 2024
Browns receive a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Bills receive Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick. pic.twitter.com/PrAPJS8K6l
After four seasons in Dallas, the Cowboys traded Cooper to the Browns for a 2022 fifth-rounder and sixth-round pick swaps. Last year, he broke the franchise record for most receiving yards in a game after tallying 265 against the Houston Texans. That performance also made him the second wideout to have 200-yard games with three NFL teams.
Meanwhile, the Bills will also absorb Cooper's existing contract, which he signed with the Cowboys in 2020. However, he has one year left on that deal, earning him up to $806,667 in base salaries with Buffalo.
Cooper can play for the Bills as early as their Week 7 match against the reeling Tennessee Titans. A victory over the Titans will improve Buffalo’s record to 5-2. Conversely, the Bills released Marquez Valdes-Scantling to create a roster spot for Cooper.
-Lance Fernandez