Former Browns WR Amari Cooper - John Locher/AP
On Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns organized a trade for wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The Bills are giving up a 3rd-round pick in 2025 and a 7th-round pick in 2026 to Cleveland for Cooper and a 6th-round pick in 2025.
The Browns took his $19 million cap hit and restructured it into upfront bonus money.
What Cooper Can Bring to Offense
The multiple Pro Bowler presents a valid number-one go-to guy for quarterback Josh Allen to find open.
He can also stretch the field vertically and make those clutch catches.
By adding Cooper, he already makes the rest of the wide receivers better, especially for second-round rookie Keon Coleman.
What Other Receivers Can Bring With Cooper
Coleman can now move to the number two position without worrying about doing all the work.
He also helps Khalil Shakir by moving him into the slot, and now you have three solid options for Allen to throw to.
The Bills released veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling to make room for Cooper.
In six games, Valdes-Scantling only had two catches for 26 yards.
Bills Met with Current WR Coach
Fortunately, the Bills management did its homework as the club checked in with current wide receivers coach Adam Henry.
Henry had previous ties to Cooper in 2020 and 2021 when he was his receivers coach with the Dallas Cowboys.
Cooper led the Cowboys with 1,114 receiving yards in 2020, and he was second in 2021 with 865.
Dallas then traded Cooper to the Browns on Mar. 16, 2022.
Facts
Cooper was the Browns leader in receiving yards with (1,160), (78) receptions, and a career-best nine touchdowns caught in 2022.
He had a career-high 1,250 yards, including a game where he recorded 265 yards receiving and two touchdowns against the Houston Texans on Dec. 24, 2023.
This is the second time in his career that the former Alabama receiver has been traded halfway through an NFL season.
In 2018, Cooper was traded to the Cowboys from the Oakland Raiders (Now Las Vegas Raiders).
He totaled 674 receiving yards in seven games and averaged 96.3 yards per game.
His most recent stint was with the Cleveland Browns in 2023, during which time he posted a record 1,250 yards and five touchdowns.
The 30-year-old has made the Pro Bowl five times while playing for three NFL teams.
In 2015, he became the Raiders’ first rookie receiver to surpass 1,000 yards receiving.
Cooper’s current salary cap hit of $806,667 is less than current Bills’ running backs James Cook ($1,590,562), Ty Johnson ($1,152,500), and Ray Davis ($973,207).
The talented receiver can bring with him a more important goal, rather than money.
He can bring his Pro Bowl experience in both the regular and postseason.
More vital than that, he can bring them a Super Bowl now while he can deal with the contract extension talks after this season is over.
