Bills land five-time Pro Bowl WR Amari Cooper in trade with Browns
For the second time on Tuesday, an AFC East team is loading up by landing a big-name wide receiver.
The Buffalo Bills agreed to acquire Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick, the Bills announced. The Bills will also receive a 2025 sixth-round pick while the Browns get a 2026 seventh-round pick.
FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz was first to report the move.
The move comes just hours after news broke that the New York Jets were working to finalize a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for three-time All-Pro receiver Davante Adams.
Cooper, 30, is a five-time Pro Bowl selection but has just 24 catches or 250 yards and two touchdowns on 53 targets this season. He has a league-worst nine drops and is averaging a career-low 10.4 yards per catch.
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The Browns rank last in total offense (240.2 yards per game) and are among the league's worst in most passing statistical categories, as coach Kevin Stefanski stands by embattled starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.
"We appreciate Amari's hard work, professionalism and on-field contributions throughout his two plus seasons with us," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. "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."
Cooper has a base salary of just $1.21 million after restructuring his deal with Cleveland.
In Buffalo, he will be expected to be a key piece of a reworked receiving corps for Josh Allen and the division-leading Bills (4-2), who are still finding their way after trading leading target Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans this offseason. Though Allen ranks fifth in the NFL with a 106.8 passer rating with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions, no player has eclipsed 250 receiving yards so far this season. Buffalo stands 25th in passing yards per game (186.3), while the last three games have featured Allen completing just 52.3% of his pass attempts for 526 yards.
With speculation continuing to ramp up about his possible departure leading up to the Nov. 5 trade deadline, Cooper had repeatedly dismissed any concerns about a change of scenery.
"I’m not thinking about that," Cooper said last Thursday. "I’m not thinking about us not winning some games. I’m thinking about us winning some games. So that doesn’t even cross my mind."
Cooper has now been traded three times in his 10-year NFL career, as he was dealt from the Oakland Raiders to the Dallas Cowboys during the 2018 season and sent to Cleveland in 2022.
In a corresponding move, the Bills on Tuesday released wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who signed a one-year deal with the team in May. Valdes-Scantling had just two catches for 21 6ards on nine targets this year.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
