It was the Tuesday after the Buffalo Bills’ Week 6 primetime victory over the New York Jets when news struck that Buffalo made a trade to acquire wideout Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. Just before this move, it was announced that the Jets had acquired wideout Davante Adams. The trade for Cooper meant more to the Bills than Adams did to the Jets.
Cooper made his Bills debut in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans and despite him not even being in Buffalo for a week, he made an immediate impact. Off of five targets, Cooper recorded 4 receptions for 66 yards and a score. Bills fans were thrilled beyond belief and it looked like no one was going to stop Cooper. Then the worst case scenario occurred the following week.
Cooper suffered a wrist injury in Seattle that kept him out for a majority of Week 8 and the following two weeks. From Week 12 and on, Cooper only had three games above 50 receiving yards. Aside from Buffalo’s Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Rams, Cooper didn’t have more than four targets in a game. He had 14 targets against the Rams.
It looked as if since his wrist injury, Cooper was not the player that Bills fans were hoping he would be. Now we have learned why he wasn’t.
Amari Cooper’s lack of production carried on into postseason
Both Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott spoke with the media on Thursday and Beane talked about how Cooper played through his wrist injury despite him being offered to have surgery on it, per Thad Brown. It looks as if with Cooper denying surgery on his wrist, it actually hurt the Bills.
Beane says Cooper wrist injury was recommended for surgery and he elected to play through it.#Bills
— Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) January 30, 2025
In Buffalo’s three playoff games, Cooper recorded an overall stat line of 8 targets, 6 catches for 41 yards and no touchdowns. This is not even close to what Bills fans had hopes for.
Seeing as how this deal worked out for the Bills, maybe they shouldn’t have done the trade in the first place with Cleveland. Getting Cooper was supposed to give Buffalo a more number one receiver presence but the “everybody eats” mentality still stuck around.
The Bills sent a 2025 third-round pick and 2026 seventh-round pick to the Browns. Giving up a third-round pick takes away a potential starter for the Bills, but they do have a second, second-round pick this year from the Stefon Diggs trade to the Houston Texans.
Cooper is set to hit free agency this upcoming March and who knows if the Bills will, or even can re-sign him. However, anything is possible and it’s very encouraging that maybe the two sides can work out a deal seeing as how Cooper has enjoyed being on a winning team for the first time in awhile.