The Buffalo Bills added Amari Cooper ahead of last season’s trade deadline with the hope that he could boost the team’s Super Bowl hopes.
While the Bills come within a hair of reaching the Super Bowl, losing in the AFC Championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs, Cooper’s impact on the team was less than expected. Cooper did have some big contributions, but also went quiet for long stretches and struggled to make an impact in the playoffs.
The former Pro Bowler has now hit free agency, and a Bills insider believes the odds of a return to Buffalo are not good.
Bills Showing Little Interest in Amari Cooper
In a mailbag published on April 12, Buffalo News insider Jay Skurski wrote that the Bills do not appear to be showing any real interest in bringing back Cooper. Skurski noted that Cooper’s market across the NFL has grown cold.
“The market for Cooper is speaking loudly,” Skurski wrote. “To this point, he has not even taken any reported visits to teams. If the Bills wanted to bring him back, they seemingly would have already done so – unless the sides were so far apart on money that it became clear no deal was going to happen.”
Cooper had 20 catches for 297 yards with two touchdowns in his eight games with the Bills last season. Since his last Pro Bowl season in 2023, Cooper saw a significant drop in production with just 547 total receiving yards last year.
Skurski suggested that the 31-year-old wide receiver could be hitting the wall.
“Cooper turns 31 in June and it’s fair to wonder exactly how much he’s got left,” Skurski wrote.
Despite the pessimism from Skurski, the Bills are not closing the door on a potential return for Skurski. General manager Brandon Beane told reporters at the league’s meetings in March that the team was still open to bringing back Cooper and another veteran who hit free agency.
“Brandon Beane says the #Bills have not closed the door on bringing back CB Rasul Douglas or WR Amari Cooper,” reporter Alex Brasky shared in a post on X.
Amari Cooper Could Have Other Options
Though Cooper’s market has not been hot, SI.com’s Ronnie Eastham suggested there could be a few teams interested in his services for 2025. That included the New Orleans Saints, a team in need of talent in the wide receiving corps.
“Outside of receiver Chris Olave, the Saints don’t have many options for returning quarterback Derek Carr,” Eastham wrote. “New head coach Kellen Moore will be looking to add some additional talent to the Saints’ passing game, and Cooper could be a solid option. He isn’t expected to be the number one option in an offense at this point in his career, and the Saints could potentially sign him to a low-risk deal.”
Eastham also speculated that the Seattle Seahawks could be in the market for more talent to help new quarterback Sam Darnold.
The Bills could also add more talent to their wide receiving group, with analysts suggesting the Bills could use one of their early draft picks on adding some much-needed speed to the offense.
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