Amari

Cooper

Cooper retires as a member of the team that drafted him fourth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. He entered the NFL as a decorated prospect and went on to five Pro Bowl nods and a PFWA All-Rookie Team selection to his resumé. Over the course of his career, Cooper caught 711-of-1,115 targets for 10,034 yards and 64 touchdowns in regular season play. The Raiders traded Cooper to the Cowboys during the 2018 season, and he had a successful stint with the Browns after signing with the club in 2022. He was ultimately traded to the Bills in-season last year, though his play was, unfortunately, hampered by a wrist injury. Cooper’s prime years with the Raiders and Cowboys define his career, though his renaissance with the Joe Flacco-led Browns will also be warmly remembered.

It’s a return to the organization that drafted and developed Cooper into one of the better wideouts in the sport before he moved on to the Cowboys, Browns and Bills; respectively. The 31-year-old isn’t the same playmaker he was in those previous Silver and Black years, and he’s coming off a season where he caught 44 passes for 547 yards with four touchdowns with Cleveland and Buffalo. That being said, the Las Vegas depth chart offers very little competition, and it’s pretty easy to see him being one of Geno Smith’s top targets for the 2025 campaign. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Raiders gave Cooper a one-year deal worth $3.5M, with a max value of $6M

Cooper split last season with the Browns and Bills, catching 44 passes for 547 yards and four touchdowns. It was a down year for Cooper, who never made the impact the Bills hoped for when they traded for him at last year’s deadline, but the soon-to-be 31-year-old may have enough left to make an impact for his former team. In four seasons with the Cowboys, Cooper caught 292 passes for 3,893 yards and 27 touchdowns while earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2019. The Cowboys didn’t add a receiver in this year’s draft.

Freed from his bench shackles in a game that — at times — called on the Bills to actually throw the ball, Cooper’s 32 snaps were tied for the most he had in any game with the Bills since Week 8. Instead of trusting Cooper to win downfield on third-and-10, on Buffalo’s penultimate offensive play from scrimmage, OC Joe Brady threw a screen at Cooper that got five yards. Turning 31 in June, Cooper is likely headed for more of an “interesting” free agency than a $10 million a year deal. He was buried by Deshaun Watson in Cleveland and buried by the offensive game plan in Buffalo. He also just had a career-high 1250 yards in 2023 with Joe Flacco at quarterback. Somebody could find a bargain here in 2025, but until he lands with a team it’ll be hard to suss out Cooper’s fantasy value beyond “vaguely WR4ish.”

Cooper was on-field for just 21-of-61 possible offensive snaps. His usage and results continue to confuse us. Although Cooper has dealt with wrist and back issues during his Bills tenure, he regularly practices in full which suggests the veteran wide receiver should at least be hitting a 50.0 percent snap offensive snap rate. Perhaps his great unveiling with take place against the Chiefs in next Sunday’s AFC Championship game.

Cooper popped up for 56 yards in his final regular season appearance in Week 17, but he’s now been held to 10-or-fewer yards in three straight contests. He’s cleared 12 four times in nine games as a Bill. Baffling. One of the few players who wasn’t there for the Bills’ first matchup with the Ravens in Week 4, Cooper is a potential X-factor who is nevertheless looking unlikely to fulfill that promise.

Cooper missed a meaningless Week 18 game for personal reasons and had not returned to the team as of Monday. He was back on the field for a full practice today and is good to go for Buffalo’s Wild Card Round date with the Broncos. The team also listed a back injury for Cooper on their report, though it didn’t limit him in practice and is a non-issue. Splitting time and targets in a crowded receiver room, Cooper will be a boom/bust fantasy option for the opening round of the playoffs.

McDermott said he was “hopeful” that Cooper would be available for Sunday’s game against the Broncos, but would not commit to it. Cooper has not been a full-time receiver in Buffalo since being acquired, so perhaps it doesn’t matter much either way, but it sure isn’t ideal for perhaps the best pure outside receiver the Bills have to be away from the club ahead of the playoffs.

The Bills have nothing to play for in Week 18 and are likely to rest as many starters as possible considering they are locked into the No. 2 seed out of the AFC, so this is likely a non-issue in the team’s journey towards the Super Bowl. Assuming everything is okay on the home front for the veteran wide receiver, expect him to return to the team following the weekend as they prepare for a home game in the Wildcard Round.

It doesn’t exactly put him back on the radar, but Cooper did a good veteran job on the sideline to box out his touchdown catch from Josh Allen. Cooper continues to be Buffalo’s fourth receiver behind Mack Hollins. 38 offensive snaps for Hollins produced 2/33 on two targets, while Cooper had just 22 snaps. It’s probably not going to happen for Cooper even in playoff best ball as he just seems to be a pass-downs only option while Hollins is trusted as a blocker.