James Atama
The Buffalo Bills made a significant addition to their offense this season by trading for Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns before the deadline. Cooper made an immediate impact by catching a touchdown just a few days after joining the team, providing quarterback Josh Allen with a reliable target. Although Cooper missed the season finale due to a family issue, he is now back and prepared to participate in the wild-card playoff game on Sunday.
While his short-term prospects with the Bills look promising, his long-term future appears more ambiguous. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox ranked Cooper as the No. 11 free agent heading into next offseason, suggesting he could sign with an AFC East rival in 2025.
Knox identified the New England Patriots as a potential landing spot for Cooper, stating that the veteran receiver would serve as a valuable asset for quarterback Drake Maye, who showed significant promise during his rookie year.
“Though the Patriots fired former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt along with head coach Jerod Mayo, Cooper would still be a sensible target for New England. The Patriots need to put reliable pass-catchers around young quarterback Drake Maye,” Knox wrote.
Even though the Patriots faced offensive challenges throughout the season, Maye’s performance provided a glimpse of hope for the future. The rookie quarterback recorded a completion rate of 66.6%, totaling 2,276 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Knox also mentioned that Cooper might opt to rejoin the Dallas Cowboys, although there is a possibility that he could return to Buffalo, especially since the Bills are projected to have more cap space than in previous offseasons.
Regarding Cooper’s performance this season, Knox noted that he “wasn’t very impressive” statistically, finishing with 44 receptions for 547 yards and four touchdowns. His season was split between a struggling Cleveland offense and a Bills team focused on distributing the ball.
“It’s also worth noting that [Bills offensive coordinator] Joe Brady’s offense doesn’t force the ball to any one receiver, so it was never likely that Cooper would come in and have the sort of production we saw from Stefon Diggs last season,” Knox wrote. “Cooper had 1,250 receiving yards in 2023 and remains a savvy route-runner with strong hands and big-play ability.”
The Bills modified their receiving corps before the season by trading away their top receiver, Stefon Diggs, and allowing No. 2 Gabe Davis to depart in free agency. They introduced a combination of seasoned players and emerging talent, including rookie Keon Coleman.
At 31 years old, Cooper demonstrated an ability to make significant plays this season, scoring a touchdown in his debut win against the Tennessee Titans after joining the team. In a key victory over the San Francisco 49ers in early December, which secured the Bills’ fifth consecutive division title, Cooper made a clever decision to laterally the ball to quarterback Josh Allen after catching a pass near the seven-yard line, allowing Allen to score.
