After moving on from Amari Cooper, the Cleveland Browns keep looking like the winners from the transaction that landed the former Pro Bowl receiver with the contending Buffalo Bills. The 3rd round pick the Browns landed for the 2025 NFL draft from trading Cooper will likely hold some value to the team as they need to fill their running back and defensive back room through the draft itself.
Cooper ended up being serviceable for the Bills for a short time. He took part in one of the more memorable plays from the season with Josh Allen, flicking the ball back to the MVP after finding no room to run it in for a touchdown. That led to a touchdown from Allen, and Cooper seemed to have his signature moment made with Buffalo.
However, he was barely utilized by the team in the postseason, raising questions about fit or injury status for the older receiver in Allen's arsenal. And now, Cooper is a free agent yet to find a home in the NFL despite there being plenty of need for receivers around the league.
One NFL insider clued fans in to why Cooper might not be signed yet - he may be "done" in the league.
NFL insider suggests Cooper is "done" in the NFL
On social media this past weekend, a Washington Commanders fan page posted a question about Cooper's potential fit with their wide receiver room. They were wondering aloud why a "2-year, 25M" contract wasn't worth taking on Cooper's skill set to add to Jayden Daniels' options downfield.
In response, Matthew Berry - an NFL writer for NBC Sports - told the page, "Amari is done. That's not me talking. That's from an offensive coach of a former team of his I spoke to at the Combine."
That's a pretty tough way of saying Cooper can no longer compete in the NFL. It also makes you wonder what team or coach spoke to Berry. It could've very well been a coach with Cleveland, considering Cooper's last team prior to Buffalo was there - and he didn't exactly have an amazing final few snaps with them.
Granted, the Browns' quarterback room was far from desirable to work with during the 2024 season, but even Jerry Jeudy made something out of nothing and had a career year.
Cooper is only 30 years old and will be 31 by when the 2025 season begins. He's still likely to be a serviceable receiver, but he'll be nowhere near his 1,000-plus-yard production again. Maybe that's what Berry is inferring, and nothing more. Regardless, this seems to have hinted at the fact that Cleveland got off of Cooper's contract at the exact right time.
