Amari Cooper trade looks like financial heist by Bills' general manager

Compared to acquiring Davante Adams or DeAndre Hopkins, the Buffalo Bills appear to have gotten a steal with Amari Cooper.

Ralph Ventre | Oct 27, 2024

Oct 20, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Tennessee Titans cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (29) tackles Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper (18) / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills' trade for wide receiver Amari Cooper is looking better by the day.

With the Bills' offense seemingly needing an elite separator, general manager Brandon Beane went out and secured one of the best in today's NFL. Cooper, a former No. 4 overall draft pick, has posted seven 1,000-yard receiving efforts in nine pro seasons.

The 30-year-old Cooper has produced everywhere he's been from Alabama to the Oakland Raiders to the Dallas Cowboys and most recently the Cleveland Browns. He wasted no time contributing in Week 7. Five days into his Bills' tenure, Cooper went for 66 yards and one touchdown on four catches against the Tennessee Titans.

Between being a seemingly perfect fit for the Josh Allen-led offense and his proven ability to produce, Cooper is arguably the biggest bargain in the NFL at his current price.

Due to the way his contract is structured, the Bills owe Cooper $73,000 per week from the time of the trade through the end of the regular season. As Spotrac's Michael Ginnitti illustrated on social media, that weekly salary is significantly less than the money owed to Davante Adams and DeAndre Hopkins.

After acquiring Adams, the New York Jets owe $1.05 million per week to the Aaron Rodgers-approved pass-catcher. As for the Kansas City Chiefs, they'll pay Hopkins $292,000 per check. Those figures are courtesy of Ginnitti.

The money owed to Cooper is exactly 25 percent of the amount that Hopkins will collect from the Chiefs. It's only 7 percent of what the Jets will pay Adams.

Should Cooper come close to the 17.4 yards per catch he averaged last year in Cleveland, then one can argue that Beane has pulled off the heist of the season.