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Alaina Getzenberg, ESPNOct 16, 2024, 07:07 PM ET
- Alaina Getzenberg is a staff writer who covers the Buffalo Bills and the NFL. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. You can follow her via Twitter @agetzenberg.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Amari Cooper drove himself up I-90 East for the just under three-hour drive from Cleveland to Buffalo, New York, alongside Lake Erie.
The drive took place Tuesday in the hours after he was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Buffalo Bills. His phone buzzing as he made his way to his new team, Cooper was trying to take in what happened and thinking about what awaited him.
“It kind of felt like a long drive to my first day of school,” Cooper said, later describing it as an “introspective drive.”
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In his first full day at the Bills facility Wednesday, Cooper remarked that the change of scenery from the Browns (1-5) to the Bills (4-2) over a quarter into the season reinvigorated him.
“Yeah, it does. It does 100% for several reasons actually,” the 30-year-old Cooper said. “It’s just that feeling of having a fresh beginning, a new start, a blank canvas that you get to control your destiny, you know?”
The Bills are Cooper’s fourth team since he was drafted fourth overall by the Raiders in 2015. The five-time Pro Bowler gives the Bills offense a strong route runner who has the ability to stretch the field vertically and separate from defenders to come down with contested catches.
Although Cooper’s numbers were down this season in a Browns offense that has struggled — 24 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns — he adds to a wide receiver room that did not have a clear No. 1 and has struggled at times to get open.
“Absolutely, it’s Amari Cooper, so, we’re very excited about that,” Josh Allen said when asked if the addition is an emotional boost for the offense. “I know the whole offense is, and that receiver room, they’re going to welcome him with open arms and be ready to work with him, and try to learn from him, too, because he’s had a lot of success in this league and obviously holds a lot of knowledge, so I think it’s going to help our guys a lot.”
Cooper said the feeling is mutual.
Amari Cooper called new teammate Josh Allen a “phenomenal” QB who plays with a lot of “grit.” Added Cooper: “So, just to be able to play with him and experience that in person, I think it’s going to be real cool.” AP Photo/John Wawrow
“As far as the way [Allen] plays, I mean, it’s phenomenal,” he said. “Every time I turn on the television and watch him play, he plays with a lot of grit, a lot of hustle, he plays hard, and obviously he’s been one of the top quarterbacks in the game for a while now. So, just to be able to play with him and experience that in person, I think it’s going to be real cool.”
While Cooper doesn’t know many in the Bills facility, including Allen, on a personal level, he does have a relationship with wide receivers coach Adam Henry, his coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 and 2021.
The Bills host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, a potentially quick turnaround for Cooper, who is still processing the trade. Coach Sean McDermott said he has not decided if Cooper will play.
“I would still have to kind of go through the week, get a routine, still learning the playbook and everything. I just got here, you know what I mean?” Cooper said. “So, I don’t really have an expectation right now that I can chalk up to being realistic until I go through the week. Obviously, if I had to answer the question, the expectation would just be to take it to take full advantage of my opportunities. That’s it. I don’t know what opportunities I would be blessed with for Sunday, but whatever it is, just take full advantage of it.”
