Earlier today, the Cleveland Browns traded Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills. The 30-year-old wideout was traded to the Bills along with a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Following his trade, Cooper posted a cryptic message on his Instagram account, “Move or rust.” The wide receiver’s words hint that he was unhappy with how things were playing out in Cleveland and that playing somewhere else was better for his career.
Fans React to Amari Cooper’s Cryptic Message
Some fans were upset after Cooper posted those words on social media. Here’s how they reacted:
Why did he turn into a diva?
— GG (@nick__deez) October 15, 2024
“Bye. Bro gave up on the team with no long-term deal. Sucked, most drops in the league. Now he wants to talk like he is good. Rust up, buddy. Won’t be missed,” said one frustrated fan.
“The reason he has to go. Thanks for your time, but good riddance. Piss poor attitude this year,” added another fan.
How about he catch the ball and do his job. Riveting idea.
— Kenneth Rinehart (@K_Rinehart_) October 15, 2024
“So he was intentionally dropping passes? He definitely looked disinterested,” questioned one fan as Cooper had nine drops in six games this season, according to Pro Football Reference’s data.
What did Tomlin say? We want volunteers not hostages. Amari didn’t want to be here well before the season started. Blame Watson if you want but he was just fine with Watson last year when Watson did play. Dude leads the league in drops talking about “Move or Rust” fuck em 🖕🖕 https://t.co/52Cp6P5KCC
— DrewInTucky (@DrewInTucky) October 15, 2024
Although some people were upset with Cooper’s choice of words on his way out of Cleveland, many others believed it was the right decision for him as the team does not look good with Deshaun Watson as its quarterback.
After the 20-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Browns fans were quite vocal on social media and asked the team to bench Watson. However, it was to no avail as the head coach, Kevin Stefanski, confirmed that Watson would remain the team’s starting quarterback.
The Browns’ offense is averaging just 15.8 points and 143.0 passing yards per game this season, and now with Cooper out, Jerry Jeudy will be their WR1. Fortunately for them, Nick Chubb is set to make his season debut in Week 7, but if the team continues to lose, we might see more players getting traded in the coming weeks.
Cooper’s Contract Details
The Dallas Cowboys traded Cooper to the Browns in 2022 after he had signed a five-year $100 million contract with the Cowboys in 2020. Before the start of the 2024 NFL season, the Browns restructured his contract and converted most of his base salary into a signing bonus.
Cooper was due to be paid $1.21 million as salary this year, and the Bills will only pay an amount close to $800,000 for his services this year. He will be a free agent after this season and will hope to increase his value by playing well in Buffalo.
He will be the Bills’ WR1 straight away, and Josh Allen finally has a reliable weapon who can fill the shoes of Stefon Diggs. The Bills are 4-2 heading into Week 7, and with Cooper’s addition, are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Players like Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Dalton Kincaid will benefit a lot from the addition of the veteran receiver. Moreover, Cooper is not known for throwing tantrums like Diggs and is unlikely to create issues if things go south for the team.
The Alabama product has 24 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns in six games this season.
