Free agency took its annual pause last week as clubs filled needs through the 2025 NFL Draft.
The league can hit un-pause now.
The contracts likely won't be lucrative, and some players might wait until closer to training camp to find a home -- passing on offseason workouts -- but there are still jobs to be had. With the date for free-agent signees counting against the compensatory formula having passed, there is one less impediment to clubs inking them.
The highest remaining player on Gregg Rosenthal's Top 101 Free Agents list is veteran wideout Amari Cooper.
The five-time Pro Bowler is coming off the worst year of his career, generating 547 yards and four touchdowns on 44 total catches over 14 games with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. Early in the season, Cooper's struggles were brushed aside, blamed on poor chemistry with Deshaun Watson. However, a midseason trade to Josh Allen's Bills didn't solve the problem. Cooper produced just 297 yards and two TDs in eight regular-season games in Western New York. In three postseason games, he averaged 6.8 yards per reception. Woof.
Given his production, it's little surprise that the 30-year-old remains a free agent. But that doesn't mean he's lost the juice, and injuries could help explain his lack of output down the stretch. In the right situation, Cooper can be productive, even if he's no longer a No. 1.
The wideout could be buy-low gold for one club.
With that in mind, let's look at some potential landing spots for the former first-round pick.
The most obvious pairing reunites Cooper with the club he spent three-and-a-half years leading. Sure, things went sour, particularly when Jerry Jones began lamenting about Cooper's contract following a Cowboys playoff loss, then traded him for pennies on the dollar less than two months later, but even that bad blood can be smoothed over. Dallas still has a clear need at receiver after free agency and the draft, heading into the offseason program with Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks and Jonathan Mingo as the top options behind CeeDee Lamb. Reports have already indicated that there's potential interest from the club in a reunion. Cooper has fallen off from his previous Cowboys days, but he'd at least give Dak Prescott a familiar weapon.
The Cardinals haven't added a legitimate second fiddle to Marvin Harrison Jr. this offseason, seemingly content to ride with Zay Jones, Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and free agent Simi Fehoko in 2025. Signing Cooper on the cheap would give Kyler Murray a veteran weapon who can win on the boundary. Cooper might not be as speedy as he used to be, but he could take on some of the vertical clear-out routes that Harrison ran last year, opening up the second-year player to eat in the intermediate level.
The Saints have a fine top three in Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and free-agent addition Brandin Cooks, who returns to The Bayou after eight years around the league. The depth, however, is sorely lacking, with 2024 fifth-rounder Bub Means next up on the depth chart. Given what the club went through last year with injuries to Olave and Shaheed, in addition to the 31-year-old Cooks' withering production, some veteran help wouldn't hurt. Cooper spent his last three seasons in Dallas with Kellen Moore -- the Saints' new head coach -- as his offensive coordinator. The familiarity could help get Cooper back on track, even with potentially fewer targets available.
Howie Roseman deserves the "Dynasty Patriots Treatment," wherein every available free agent or trade target is linked to his Eagles. The two-time Super Bowl-winning GM isn't shy about adding veteran depth -- see Julio Jones, 2023 -- and Philly's drop-off behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith is steep. Jahan Dotson, the team's WR3, put up 216 yards last season. Behind that trio sits 2024 sixth-rounder Johnny Wilson and another reclamation project in Terrace Marshall Jr. As they did last year before the Dotson trade, the Eagles could let things shake out and see if any youngsters are ready to take on a bigger role. However, adding a veteran could make sense as we near the season. Philly offers Cooper a legit shot at chasing a ring in 2025 that others on this list cannot.
I'm not concerned with how things ended for Cooper and the Raiders last time. Seven years have passed. Vegas has gone through roughly 35 coaches in that timeframe (kidding). The new era under head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Spytek feels different than the last several iterations. There isn't a glaring need for a receiver in Las Vegas, with All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers, the underrated Jakobi Meyers, field stretcher Tre Tucker and second-round pick Jack Bech. But it's an uber-young WR crew. Outside of Meyers, no one in the Raiders WR room has more than two years of experience. A presence like Cooper could add some wisdom and help the transition for Geno Smith.
If you're saying to yourself at this point, "Hey, isn't this essentially just a list of teams with WR needs?" Bingo. Thank you for reading. Garrett Wilson remains a stud but is back to being the lone wolf. Allen Lazard took a hefty pay cut to stay in New York, likely because he's got a better shot to get reps with the Jets than anywhere else. Josh Reynolds is coming off an ineffective 2024 (194 yards in nine games). Tyler Johnson is a projection. Malachi Corley is an unknown. And fourth-rounder Arian Smith is a track athlete with one year of college production. Wilson needs help -- again. Cooper could provide a competent route-runner on the boundary to complement Wilson and give Justin Fields a proven weapon who likely wouldn't cost much.
The Bills have shown little interest in bringing Cooper back after last year's disappointment, but, hey, they could still use some wideout help -- even if saying that aloud brings the ire of Brandon Beane. The Elijah Moore signing doesn't change that. Cooper already knows the offense and could continue to build chemistry with Josh Allen after sporadic play in 2024. If Beane was willing to trade draft assets for Cooper during the season, couldn't he consider bringing him back on the cheap?
