During a challenging season, the Buffalo Bills made the wise move of adding receiver Amari Cooper to strengthen their passing game. He was a well-known figure who was expected to be crucial in maintaining the Bills’ strength far into January. But not every procedurally sound move is successful. In exchange for his services, the franchise handed the Cleveland Browns a third-round selection and a seventh-round pick, but they saw little success in the months that followed. The least fruitful season of his career occurred when he was thirty years old.
Cooper will now be free to sign with any team in March. It’s unclear how eager Buffalo is to have him return after his failed stint in Western New York. Bills supporters received a significant update on Cooper’s offseason in ESPN’s free agency preview. “The Bills have been happy with Cooper, despite low production compared with past seasons,”
stated Jeremy Fowler. “The Bills are interested in enrolling him in a full offseason program alongside quarterback Josh Allen since he has shown himself to be a solid team player in Buffalo. A return to Buffalo does not seem out of the question, despite the uncertainty surrounding his free agency status. If Cooper’s price drops following a poor season, it makes more sense to bring him back. It was always ambitious to expect him to be Stefon Diggs’ replacement. Buffalo isn’t attempting to funnel targets to a star, even though he is a strong role player in the offense.
Cooper is transformed from the alpha target earner he was for the most of the previous ten years into a glorified role player with Allen running many times per game and a large pool of competent choices to throw to. Despite only playing in eight games, he concluded his season with the eighth-most targets and catches, sixth-most yards, and seventh-most receiving touchdowns among Bills pass-catchers.
“Cooper’s tape is beginning to show signs of decline, but he is still a detailed route runner who can uncover at multiple levels of the field,” noted Matt Bowen. Cooper caught 44 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games this season while playing for the Browns and Bills. Cooper has amassed 64 career touchdown catches and seven 1,000-yard receiving totals in nine complete seasons. Related:
Retired Former Bills Lineman May Return to the NFL The Bills can maximize Cooper’s talents as a skilled, man-beating receiver. However, he becomes one of the riskier profiles of free agency as he enters his 30s, has more injuries, and distances himself from the extraordinarily productive years of his peak. With both players going to free agency,
Chicago Bears receiver Keenan Allen should be a good referendum on Cooper’s next contract. In one scenario, Cooper goes back to Buffalo. That possible signing may be less pleasing if you expect him to play like a star receiver or ask to be paid like one.
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