The Browns will get a third round pick and a seventh round pick in return for Cooper and a sixth round pick.
The Cleveland Browns have traded Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills after a rough start to his third season in Northeast Ohio.
After leading the NFL in dropped passes for the 1-5 Browns, it appears the two sides have decided a divorce is best. The Browns will receive a third round pick and a seventh round pick from the Bills in exchange for a third round pick and a seventh round pick.
The Browns and Cooper reworked the last year of his contract his offseason to give the wide receiver more guaranteed money. This effectively made Cooper’s contract more appealing to the Bills. By reworking his deal, the Browns effectively bought a third round pick in exchange for Cooper’s veteran minimum base salary.
Cooper may not be the last veteran to get the boot out of Cleveland either. Sitting at 1-5, their season is now already effectively over. They have plenty of proven players on the plus side of 30 who could get the call next.
The Cleveland Browns are trading wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills
The Bills are an AFC playoff favorite, and after watching the Jets acquire Davante Adams, they made a blockbuster move of their own. With the 1-5 Browns looking towards the draft, Cleveland is trading star wide receiver Amari Cooper to Buffalo for draft picks.
Baltimore has faced some talented wide receivers this season and has two games against the Browns upcoming, but it won’t have to face Cooper.
Sources: The #Bills are trading for #Browns WR Amari Cooper, sending a third-round pick in a pick swap.
Would the Vikings think about adding another wide receiver for Sam Darnold prior to the NFL trade deadline?
The Vikings are off to a hot start and one of the biggest surprises in the NFL. Minnesota has already made plenty of signings to shape the team, but NFL insider Akbar Gbajabiamila links the Vikings to a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
On a segment of Good Morning Football, he thinks the Vikings could be buyers at the trade deadline and look to make a move for Browns’ wide receiver Amari Cooper after a rocky 1-4 start to the season.
“How about the Minnesota Vikings?… They have TJ Hockenson coming back. You start thinking, ‘What could they do, they could add some depth’. Think about what the Kansas City Chiefs have done. They continuously add depth. Someone gets hurt, they get someone else in there.
“How about going out and maybe looking for an Amari Cooper, who’s on a struggling Browns team. [Kwesi Adofo-Mensah] was in Cleveland already, has familiarity with Amari Cooper. Now, all of a sudden, you have depth at the wide receiver position.
“You’ve got Justin Jefferson, Addison, Amari Cooper, TJ Hockenson. Now, all of a sudden, you’ve got guys who can, when home-field advantage comes around, they’re making it deep, deep, deep and potentially winning a Super Bowl”
Minnesota is pretty happy with Jalen Nailor as wide receiver three, but if the opportunity presented itself to acquire the former first-round receiver out of Alabama, the Vikings would likely consider it. Sam Darnold would have an unstoppable cast of receivers at his disposal.
Davante Adams might be done with the Raiders, and the Browns could trade Amari Cooper. Does a swap make sense?
Could Amari Cooper head back to the Las Vegas Raiders, the franchise where his NFL career began in a potential wide receiver swap that would send Davante Adams to the Cleveland Browns?
Cooper is in the last year of his contract, and the Browns are set to be in a terrible situation with their wide receiver room beyond 2024. The sturdy wide receiver is also off to the worst start of his career at the age of 30 and has been floated as a potential trade target for the Kansas City Chiefs.
What if, however, the Browns worked out a deal with the Raiders for Adams? Reports are now that the Raiders are engaging teams in trade talks for Adams, and with how cheap the rest of Cooper’s deal is, it could help the Raiders clear a ton in cap space as they head into a rebuild.
For the Browns then, they would retain a WR1 who is still under roster control through 2026 with no guaranteed money. The issue, however, is that his base salary is $35.6 million in 2025 and $36.6 million in 2026. This means the acquisition on Adams is likely a rental for the rest of 2025 before he is cut and potentially re-signed to a more cost-effective deal for a then 33-year-old wide receiver.
The terms of this contract extension were likely a trigger anyway between the two sides to up the guarantees in the present with the ability for the two sides to part ways after the season.
This also means that a new contract would likely need to be worked out between Adams and the new team before a trade agreement would come to fruition. The Browns saw this with Brandon Aiyuk this offseason, who refused to agree to a new deal even though Cleveland had a deal in place.
Would Adams agree to a new deal with the Browns before a trade? This seems like what a new deal would come down to. If they can, then the Browns have their answer to having a WR1 under contract beyond this season.
After the injury to wide receiver Rashee Rice, the Kansas City Chiefs may just call the Cleveland Browns for Amari Cooper after the team dropped to 1-3 on the season.
And it’s not out of the question that the Browns would strike a deal to send him to the back-to-back Super Bowl champs. The Chiefs boast an already weak room before the injury to Rice, and now it has gotten even weaker.
An established veteran who has been traded twice before already may just be the perfect fit for Patrick Mahomes and company. FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager floated the idea.
Why would the Browns trade Amari Cooper?
A slow start has consumed Cooper this season. Despite a breakout performance against the New York Giants last week where he caught his first touchdown pass of the season, Cooper had another costly drop for the third time in four weeks. This one led to an interception on a throw that should have resulted in a chunk play from the arm of quarterback Deshaun Watson.
If the Browns continue to lose, already at a crossroads of 1-3 on the season with the red-hot Washington Commanders up next, we could see them start to ship off veteran assets nearing the end of their contracts in Cleveland.
If the player is going to walk in free agency after the season’s end anyway, why not at least get a draft asset back for him on the trade market before we get to that point?
And Cooper is the leading candidate.
What are the financial implications of trading Cooper?
Cooper is in the last year of his deal. The Browns have already restructured his deal to give him his money guaranteed and in the form of a bonus. This means his cap hit is at the veteran minimum this season for another team to take on.
This makes him an attractive target for other teams.
To do so, the Browns would save whatever is left on the base contract of Cooper this season. If traded today, that number would be $941,111. If he is traded at the deadline that number would be $605,000.
The Browns would, however, eat all of the bonuses they have already prorated out to Cooper. This means the Browns would have a cap hit of $22.6 million in 2025 to trade the wide receiver.
The big difference is if the Browns just let him walk, designating him as a post-June 1 cut (which they can do because of the void years), then they would save $15 million against the cap next year and eat just $7.5 million in dead cap.
So, the asset the Browns get in return will dictate whether or not they trade Cooper. Is a fourth round pick worth an additional $15 million in dead cap? Probably not. But would a second rounder in some sort of pick swap? Perhaps.
The only way to avoid this cap hit is to extend the player further into the future, which is something the Browns were unwilling to do during the wideout’s holdout this summer. Looking at the production they are getting from Cooper at this point as well, that may have been the right call.
Now to the final question: what kind of return would Cooper warrant?
What could the Browns get out of Cooper on the trade market?
The timing here is key. If the Browns wait until the trade deadline to trade Cooper, then likely a fourth round pick is all they would be able to retain for a player who is basically a rental for half of a season for his new team.
However, if the Chiefs or another team comes and gets Cooper by giving the Browns an offer they cannot refuse out of desperation for the wide receiver, we could see returns as high as a second round pick. General manager Andrew Berry has been fond of pick swaps as well, so seeing Cooper packaged with an early Day 3 pick for a second round pick would not be out of the question.
If the Cowboys are going to contend, they’ll need to reinforce several problem areas. Here’s who the AFC North has to potentially offer. | From @KDDrummondNFL
The Dallas Cowboys have, temporarily, stopped the bleeding. Playing on short rest, it wasn’t a pretty exercise defeating the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football in Week 3. They paid a steep price, too, losing both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence to lower-extremity injuries and likely for multiple weeks.
Beyond those injury issues, the Cowboys have other needs as well. There has been very little contributions to the passing game beyond All-Pro CeeDee Lamb, and although they were able to shut down the Giants’ run game, it’s been less than a week since they allowed 464 combined rushing yards across two games. There is a need to improve the roster and they should consider trading to do so.
The Cowboys extended both QB Dak Prescott and Lamb before the season started, opening up a large amount of 2024 cap space to make in-season moves. If they are so inclined, Jerry and Stephen Jones have over $25 million of space to bring in help from the outside. Blessed with a minibye to sit back and watch other teams operate, it makes sense to identify teams which may be looking to cut bait on players in exchange for draft picks.
Picks are a commodity for the Cowboys moreso than most teams. That makes it unlikely they want to part with any unless the price is in their favor. But with four comp picks on deck for 2025, perhaps the Cowboys would be willing to part for any of these players who could help.
Our first look is at the AFC North, where entering the weekend, three of the four teams are below .500. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0, but both Baltimore and Cleveland are 1-2 and the Bengals are winless. The Ravens aren’t going to stay bad, so the focus of these trade offers will be on Cincinnati and the Browns’ talent.
WR Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5)
Higgins is currently playing on the franchise tag as he and the Bengals were unable to work out an agreement all summer. Playing on the fifth-year option, he’s earning $21.8 million a year, so he’d cost Dallas a large chunk of their remaining space at $1.2 million for each week left in the season when acquired.
But the Bengals are struggling, already at 0-3 for the year. If they don’t win a few games in a row, the season is lost and it would make perfect sense to give up Higgins for a fourth rounder in 2025. The kicker? The two-time 1,000-yard receiver be a free agent rental that will likely get his next team a 2026 third or fourth-round comp pick.
DT BJ Hill, Bengals
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Another potential Bengal to keep an eye on is interior defensive lineman BJ Hill. Hill is the player Dallas was hoping Jordan Phillips was, a 310-plus three-tech with pass-rush and run-stopping ability. The 2018 Giants’ third-round has three different seasons with at least 4.5 sacks.
DE Trey Hendrickson, Bengals
Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Likely a non-starter, but the Cowboys have a need at the position. This becomes more true if Lawrence is out for much of the season as the team has been a bit cryptic on exactly what is wrong with his foot.
Hendrickson is a similar build to Lawrence, though a more prolific sack artist and not as good at setting the edge. He’s not the best fit as he has only played on the right side, Parsons’ side, and rarely kicks inside. He’s also signed through 2025 and won’t be a free agent like the others on this list, but he’s too good of a talent to not ask about if the Bengals go Fire Sale.
WR Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper celebrates after scoring on the team’s first drive during the first half against the New York Giants, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Cleveland.
Cooper made waves this summer, threatening a holdout and got the final year of his contract (originally written by the Cowboys) guaranteed. But if the Browns continue to flounder, perhaps the Cleveland front office would bite the bullet and send him back down south.
Cooper had a career high in yards in 2024, 1,250, and would make a great compliment to Lamb; they’ve proven what they could be as a duo already.
DT Quinton Jefferson, Browns
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jefferson is a traveling veteran three-tech who just signed with the Browns for about $4 million in the offseason. A lost season means he should be able to be acquired for little draft compensation and would help in a rotation in Dallas.
Will Amari Cooper be extra motivated facing Raiders team that drafted him? Is this a revenge game for him?
Believe it or not, Sunday will be the first time since Amari Cooper was traded away by the Raiders that he will face his former team. There was one other chance he had to face off against the team that drafted him No. 4 overall back in 2021, when he was in Dallas but he came down with COVID and missed the game.
Therefore Coop will take the field for the Browns on Sunday, looking at the Silver & Black on the opposite sideline for the first time in his career.
Coop was sent to Dallas midway through the 2018 season in exchange for a first round pick. He played the rest of that season and three more with the Cowboys before being traded to Cleveland. So, it’s been a long road. So long, in fact, the Raiders aren’t even in the same city as when he left.
“I played in the Black Hole,” Cooper told ESPN Cleveland, referring to the Oakland Coliseum. “I’ve never even been to Vegas, so I think it necessarily would feel the same. It won’t because I didn’t play there. It won’t have the same aura to it like a guy coming back to the team that drafted him and coming back to the same place he played at. It doesn’t have that feel.
“And it’s so far removed. It’s what, seven, six years removed from when I departed from the Raiders. Honestly it doesn’t feel like a revenge game or anything like that. I don’t even know any of the players there. None of the guys who are on that team when I was there. I don’t think one guy. So, it doesn’t feel like that. But you never know until you get there, you know what I mean? You never know until you’re on the field. You never know.”
Technically there is one player on the Raiders who was there when Cooper still with the team – Kolton Miller, who was drafted in 2018. And, of course, there will be Mark Davis still roaming the sideline at pregame.
Coop is coming off a career year with 1250 yards receiving, helping him make his first Pro Bowl in four years. It’s his fifth trip to the Pro Bowl, his first two coming in a Raiders uniform.
Yeah, 1250 yards isn’t that impressive when you consider how long Coop has played and how talented he is. His big criticism has always been his lack of fire and passion. Does anything motivate him to take his game to the next level? Will facing the team that drafted him and gave up on him move the needle with him? As Coop said “You never know.”
With all the injuries, it can be tough to keep up with who is playing and who is not. But let’s try. Here are some key matchups that figure to play a role in who comes out victorious in this week’s tilt between the Raiders and Browns.
Kolton Miller vs Myles Garrett
The biggest star taking the field in this game is lining up at edge rusher for the Browns. Garrett the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He has averaged over 15 sacks per season the past three seasons and already has two this season.
Meanwhile Kolton Miller has looked probably the worst he’s ever looked in Luke Getsy’s new zone blocking scheme. He has already surrendered five sacks this season along with several run stuffs as well. This could get messy if the Raiders aren’t careful.
Jakorian Bennett vs Amari Cooper
Coop is coming off a career-best season in which he put up 1250 yards receiving while averaging 17.4 yards per catch. It earned him his first trip to the Pro Bowl since 2019. Bennett has played pretty well this season and this could be his toughest test yet.
Jones started nine games last season and has started the first three this season as well. He has surrendered two sacks in the first three games after giving up three sacks last season. Wilson has 3.5 career sacks, all last season.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson has been terrible this season, but if he has time to throw or room to run around, he can carve up the Raiders. Wilson’s one job will be the keep that from happening.
The Cleveland Browns offense had another struggling performance against the New York Giants in Week 3 outside of a bounce-back performance from wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski and his offense are again facing injury trouble along with ground and pass production to start the year. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is still struggling to find his consistency in this offense, which has caused offensive production to stall in some of the team’s biggest moments. The rollercoaster of Watson’s performances has left the offense struggling to find their identity in the absence of Nick Chubb. Some of the biggest issues on the offense are rooted around the players up front.
The offensive line has not only suffered many injuries but also has performed terribly in the absence of some of their best players. This left the New York Giants defense able to blitz Watson and easily disrupt the pass and ground game for Cleveland. The PFF grades from Week 3’s performance show where the offense is struggling and what must change immediately.
Let’s take a look at some of the Browns’ best and worst offensive performers in their matchup last Sunday:
Amari Cooper catches his second touchdown of the game
After an incredibly fast start, the Cleveland Browns’ offense entered a long scoreless stretch, falling behind 21-7 early in the fourth quarter. Taking over near the 50-yard line, Cleveland orchestrated a five-play, 49-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson to receiver Amari Cooper — their second scoring connection of the day.
The ground game showed its first signs of life with a 12-yard run from Jerome Ford and a 14-yard scramble from Watson. After the score, Watson connected with Jerry Jeudy for a two-point conversion, cutting the lead to six points with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter to make a comeback in this one.
It hasn’t been a pretty showing for the offense so far due to the disruptive Giants’ pass rush, but capitalizing on great field position has given them a chance to come out of Week 3 with a win against the 0-2 Giants.
