Amari Cooper went from a fading No. 1 wide receiver in Cleveland to a top one with Buffalo.
Looking to add a playmaker for quarterback Josh Allen, the Bills acquired Cooper on Tuesday in a trade with the skidding Browns, whose season seems to be unraveling by the week with the NFL’s worst offense.
Just hours after the New York Jets acquired Davante Adams to pair with Aaron Rodgers, the Bills (4-2) pulled off their own big deal, one they hope will keep them ahead of their AFC East rivals and on track to make a deep postseason run.
Cooper’s a five-time Pro Bowler and his arrival will give Buffalo’s patchwork receiving group a major boost. The Bills have needed a player of Cooper’s stature since trading Stefon Diggs to Houston during the offseason.
The Bills sent a third-round pick in the 2025 draft and a seventh-rounder in 2026 to Cleveland for Cooper and a sixth-round pick in 2025. The swap also came a day after the Bills (4-2) beat the Jets 23-20.
For Cooper, the deal ends what has been a disappointing and disjoined third season with Cleveland.
The 30-year-old, who was in his final year under contract, has made numerous uncharacteristic drops that didn’t help struggling Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson get his game on track.
“Move or rust,” Cooper posted on Instagram.
Cooper’s departure will deprive Watson of a key option and push Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman up on the depth chart. Jeudy, who came to Cleveland in an offseason trade from Denver, has 20 catches for 248 yards and a touchdown.
Moore has 16 catches for 95 yards but suffered a rib injury in Sunday’s loss. Tillman was expected to do big things in his second season, but the third-round pick has just three catches.
A change of scenery could be good for Cooper, the only player in Browns history to have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He got off to a slow start this season, but was leading Cleveland with 24 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
But he and Watson have not been on the same page for most of the season, and Cooper only had 12 catches for 137 yards in his past three games.
Still, he was an invaluable part of Cleveland’s turnaround the past two seasons.
“We appreciate Amari’s hard work, professionalism and on-field contributions throughout his two-plus seasons with us,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said. “He created many memorable moments with us and was an integral part of our 2023 playoff team. We wish him the best in Buffalo as he continues his NFL career.”
One of the NFL’s best route-runners, Cooper will give Allen another option.
Khalil Shakir leads the Bills with 20 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Buffalo’s receiver group is rounded out by mostly journeymen in Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and Marquez Valdez-Scantling and rookie Keon Coleman.
The Browns’ decision to trade one of their top players could be a sign that the team has given up on a season going the wrong direction. Cleveland dropped its fourth straight game on Sunday, a 20-16 loss to Philadelphia.
The Browns have yet to score 20 points or get 300 yards in a game.
Cooper’s trade has seemed inevitable for months as the Browns decided not to give him the contract extension he was seeking this summer. They restructured his deal, converting almost $19 million of his $20 million base into a guaranteed signing bonus.
The Bills are only on the hook for $806,667 in salary for the rest of the season.
The Browns acquired Cooper in a 2022 trade when the Dallas Cowboys looked to move him in a salary dump. Almost from the moment he got to Cleveland, Cooper, who starred at Alabama, became an invaluable leader for coach Kevin Stefanski.
Cooper led by example on and off the field.
However, the past few months have been odd for the dependable veteran.
He skipped minicamp in a contract holdout before the Browns re-worked his deal just before training camp opened. Cooper was also the subject of rampant trade rumors — mostly involving San Francisco — before the buzz quieted down.
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