Bills acquire Amari Cooper from Browns
The Cleveland Browns are trading veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills, the teams announced.
Buffalo will send third- and seventh-round picks to Cleveland in exchange for the five-time Pro Bowler and a sixth-round selection.
The Bills will take on just $806,667 guaranteed of Cooper's remaining salary, according to Spotrac.
Cooper caught 72 passes and five touchdowns while setting a career high with 1,250 yards in 2023. However, the former first-round pick hasn't been able to replicate that production while playing in a struggling Browns offense so far this season. The 30-year-old has posted 250 yards and two TDs on 24 receptions in 2024.
Buffalo will be Cooper's fourth team after the Oakland Raiders (2015-18), Dallas Cowboys (2018-21), and Browns (2022-24). He posted at least one 1,000-yard season with each of those clubs.
"I've been in this situation before, so that helps," Cooper said about his latest trade on Tuesday, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson. "I'm just excited to turn a new chapter and to be able to contribute."
Cooper figures to be a great fit with the Bills, who have been missing an established weapon since trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans this past offseason. Cooper's 250 receiving yards would rank first on the Bills this year.
The Bills released veteran receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to create space for Cooper. Valdes-Scantling has caught two passes for 26 yards this season.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid currently leads Buffalo with 21 catches. Wideout Khalil Shakir has recorded a team-high 249 receiving yards to go along with two touchdown receptions. Keon Coleman - the Bills' second-round rookie - has only 12 receptions in 2024.
"As far as playing with Josh (Allen), I've always been a fan of his game," Cooper said of his new QB. "I'm sure to see it up close and personal and play alongside him, I'm sure it's going to be great."
Cooper was a key member of a Browns team that reached the playoffs last season after Joe Flacco took over following a series of quarterback injuries. However, with Deshaun Watson back under center in 2024, Cleveland is 1-5 while ranking 30th in total points. That made Cooper - a veteran in the last year of his contract - an obvious trade candidate for Kevin Stefanski's outfit.
With Cooper now in Buffalo, backup safety Rodney McLeod is the only Browns player to score more than one touchdown this season, including the team's offense, notes ESPN's Jake Trotter. Cleveland's wide receiver depth chart will be headlined by Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and Cedric Tillman.
The Cooper trade is the second major move involving a star wide receiver being sent to the AFC East on Tuesday. The Las Vegas Raiders also dealt Davante Adams to the New York Jets in exchange for a conditional third-round pick.