(This story has been updated with new information.)
Amari Cooper 's name has been linked repeatedly to various trades since the summer. On Tuesday, those rumors of the Browns wide receiving being dealt became true.
The Browns and Bills have completed a trade where Cleveland has sent Cooper to Buffalo in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick. The two teams also will swap late-round picks.
The pick swap will include a sixth-round pick in 2025 going from Cleveland to Buffalo. The Browns will receive a 2026 seventh-rounder from the Bills.
"Move or rust," Cooper posted on Instagram late Tuesday afternoon following the trade.
Said Browns general manager Andrew Berry in a statement from the team: "We appreciate Amari's hard work, professionalism and on-field contributions throughout his two plus seasons with us. He created many memorable moments with us and was an integral part of our 2023 playoff team. We wish him the best in Buffalo as he continues his NFL career."
Cooper, 30, had been linked during training camp to a potential deal with the San Francisco 49ers that would've sent Brandon Aiyuk , then in a contract dispute, back to Cleveland. The last couple of weeks, his name has been mentioned prominently as a potential target of the Kansas City Chiefs after Rashee Rice 's knee injury.
This marks the third time Cooper, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of the University of Alabama, has been traded in his career. He was dealt in 2018 from Oakland to Dallas , in 2022 from Dallas to Cleveland and now this trade.
"I don't think I ever really had to learn because I don't think it's something to be taken personal," Cooper said about taking trade rumors personally prior to the season opener against the Cowboys. "At the end of the day, you might be traded away from one team. It's all about how you perceive things. Life is about perception, because in regards to trades, yeah, you're trading away from one team, but you're being accepted into another team. So I just kind of look at it as that's how the business was arranged."
Browns draft picks: What picks do the Cleveland Browns have in the 2025 NFL Draft after Amari Cooper trade?
Cooper may be thinking about the change in quarterbacks, going from Deshaun Watson to Buffalo's Josh Allen . One of the running narratives over the Browns' 1-5 start was the inability of Watson and Cooper to get on the same page.
There was a moment in the second quarter of Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles where the lack of being on the same page showed itself when Cooper cut off a route while Watson's pass was thrown thinking he was going to keep running downfield. The two appeared to talk about that play once they returned to the bench.
"Yeah, it was just a miscommunication," Cooper said afterwards. "I'll definitely take the blame for that. So yeah, it was on me."
Despite the struggles to get on the same page as the quarterback, Cooper led the Browns in receptions (24), receiving yards (250) and receiving touchdowns (two) this season. His first two seasons in Cleveland, he became the first Browns wide receiver to post back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, as he combined for 2,410 yards and 14 TDs on 150 catches in that time.
The trade leaves the Browns with Jerry Jeudy , Elijah Moore , Cedric Tillman and rookie Jamari Thrash as the only wide receivers currently on the active roster, while Jaelon Darden , Michael Woods II and Kadarius Toney are on the practice squad. That entire group has a combined 40 catches for 358 yards and one TD this season, with 20 catches for 248 yards accounted for by Jeudy and another 16 catches for 95 yards by Moore.
Cooper did share in some of the blame for the lack of connection with the quarterback. His inability to hold onto a pass led directly to an interception in Week 3 at the Las Vegas Raiders , the same game in which he had an 84-yard TD called back in the fourth quarter because of holding.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cooper had six total drops on the season.
"I think every athlete has a sense of pride in the way that they play," Cooper said Oct. 3. "At the end of the day, we all just want to be respected for our performance, and you tend to get disrespected if you don't hold yourself to that standard. So I wouldn't say that's an inaccurate way to describe it. It has a lot to do with pride."
Cooper caught four passes for 42 yards in Sunday's loss to the Eagles . He was targeted six times by Watson in the game.
The wide receiver also was flagged for a costly facemask penalty on Cleveland's final possession while hand-fighting with Eagles defensive back Kelee Ringo . He did come back to catch two passes over the next three plays for a net of 18 yards to give the Browns a first-and-goal at the Philadelphia 8.
"I thought it was a (defensive pass interference)," Cooper said Sunday. "I was just trying to get off of him DPI-ing me and make a play. And I guess in the process of that, I did grab his face mask, but there's no excuses at the end of the day, I shouldn't have done it."
The frustrations for Cooper with the Browns started back in the offseason, when he sat out both the offseason program and mandatory minicamp while in a contract dispute. The two sides resolved those differences by the time veterans reported for training camp, with the team guaranteeing the full $20 million base salary — while providing half of it up front as a signing bonus — along with providing a potential $5 million raise through incentives.
What wasn't provided was an extension beyond this season. Cooper hinted when he spoke during training camp that was something he had hoped to receive.
"Yeah, I mean I'm content for sure," Cooper said on July 25. "Obviously I wanted more guarantees in the contract, just because I feel like I've earned it. But you can't always get what you wish for all the time, but it's definitely noted. If I have to go earn it, that's what I'll do."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Amari Cooper traded by Browns to Buffalo Bills for 3rd-round pick
