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The Buffalo Bills traded for Amari Cooper at the 2024 trade deadline, looking to bolster their wide-receiving core. But his production did not live up to expectations and now he is hitting free agency. Matt Bowen of ESPN reported that the Bills may keep Cooper in free agency for reasons beyond the stat line.
“the Bills have been happy with Cooper, despite low production compared with past seasons. He has been a good team player in Buffalo, and the Bills are intrigued by getting him into a full offseason program with quarterback Josh Allen. Though his free agency future is uncertain, a return to Buffalo does not appear off the table,” Bowen reported.
When the Bills traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, they lived on the phrase “everybody eats.” They drafted Keon Coleman and signed Mack Hollins to give Josh Allen a deep pool of receivers to pick from. But adding Cooper was supposed to give them the big body to hit in the red zone that they lacked.
Considering the coaching consistency and great quarterback play they have, assuming Cooper will get better is not a crazy assumption. The Bills must improve to finally beat the Chiefs and make the Super Bowl. Does a full season of Amari Cooper meet that need?
While the Bills still lost the AFC Championship Game, they had plenty of chances to slay the beast, The controversial call on 4th & 1 and the chaotic final drive should leave a bad taste in their mouths. But one easy fix would have prevented those things from happening. James Cook was not on the field for the final drive despite dominating the game to that point.
But the takeaway cannot be just play Cook more and everything will work. The Chiefs have always improved in the offseason even after Super Bowl wins so the Bills need to as well. Tee Higgins is the class of the wide receiver class and will likely break the bank with his next contract. Could Buffalo swipe a great receiver from a top rival? If they can, Higgins would be a much better fit than Cooper.
If Cooper has a great year next year, it could open up things for rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman. He had a solid first year, 556 yards and four touchdowns, but is not in the top tier of this year’s pass catchers. With Brian Thomas Jr, Malik Nabers, and Brock Bowers all going to the Pro Bowl, Coleman has a lot of space to catch up next year.
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