The dumpster fire known as the Cleveland Browns are trading wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills, Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein confirmed Tuesday. The Bills later confirmed the trade, in which they will receive Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round draft pick, while Cleveland gets a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-rounder in the exchange.
The Bills (4-2), who have been the landlords of the AFC East over the past four seasons, completed the deal less than 24 hours after they defeated their AFC East rivals, the New York Jets 23-20 on Monday night and the Jets made their own blockbuster trade for a wide receiver when they acquired Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders.
To make room for Cooper, the Bills choose to part ways with receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, according to NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport.
Cooper, 30, fills the No. 1 receiver vacancy for the Bills, without the drama, that was opened when Buffalo traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans prior to the season getting underway.
With the trade, Cooper will get an opportunity to play on a far more competitive team and a Super Bowl contender, which is a position he has never been in, while giving Bills quarterback Josh Allen another explosive receiving weapon. Buffalo’s leading receiver this season is Khalil Shakir, with 249 yards and two scores, followed by rookie Keon Coleman out of Florida State University, 201 yards and two touchdowns. It has definitely been receiver by committee.
“First and foremost, we believe in the receivers that we already have in the room,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “We’ll see when Amari gets here and how we can get him up to speed and get him integrated into what we do and how we do things. It’s never about one guy. We’re thankful to have him, but it’s never about just one guy. It’s about the team, so we’re anxious to get him on board here and get rolling.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Browns are sitting at 1-5 and the season already appears to be over with the much-maligned Deshaun Watson as Cleveland’s starting quarterback. The Bills, on the other hand, are moving in an upward trajectory at 4-2 and sit atop of their division. The Browns, meanwhile, are seemingly focusing on acquiring future talent for the moment.
Cooper has been relatively quiet, with 24 receptions, 250 yards and two touchdowns in six games this season.
“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.”
This marks the third career trade for Cooper. The five-time Pro Bowl receiver started his career with the Raiders franchise as the No. 4 overall draft pick out of the University of Alabama in 2015 before being traded to ‘America’s Team’, the Dallas Cowboys midseason in 2018. In 2022, he was sent packing to the Browns during the offseason, and spent the past two seasons in Cleveland.
