Hours after Davante Adams reunited with Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets, the AFC East is getting another big-name wide receiver shakeup, with the Buffalo Bills acquiring five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. The Bills announced the trade and terms of the deal Tuesday.
Cleveland gets a 2025 third-round draft pick, plus a 2026 seventh-round pick, in exchange for Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick.
The 30-year-old Cooper just reworked his contract with the Browns ahead of the 2024 season, but will now go from one of the NFL's worst teams to a potential AFC title contender in Buffalo, which bested the Jets to stay atop the AFC East on Monday night. He sought a pay raise in Cleveland over the summer, and had struggled to stay on the same page as quarterback Deshaun Watson during the Browns' 1-5 start.
Cooper represents a clear upgrade for a Bills receiving corps that underwent wholesale change this offseason. Quarterback Josh Allen has leaned on veterans Khalil Shakir and newcomer Curtis Samuel, as well as rookie Keon Coleman, since his previous top two targets, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, left via trade and free agency. Second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid has also been heavily involved in the pass game.
Cooper logged a career-high 1,250 receiving yards for the Browns in 2023, his second straight 1,000-yard campaign. Acquired by Cleveland via trade from the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, he previously spent three and a half seasons as one of Dak Prescott's top outlets in Arlington. He began his NFL career with the Oakland Raiders, who drafted him fourth overall out of Alabama back in 2015.