Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane will be the first to say that his work is never done. The task of roster building takes no breaks, because teams never know when the next injury, contract dispute, or suspension might show up to derail well-intended efforts. While there’s always college football to focus from prospect who aren’t yet eligible to enter the pros to the most recent rookie class set to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, teams will often look to establish veterans who’ve proven they belong.
The Bills’ first unrestricted free-agent (UFA) signing this spring was an unheralded wide receiver formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers in Joshua Palmer. A native of Ontario, Canada, Palmer represents Beane’s now-constant search to replace the sort of production that Stefon Diggs gave Buffalo. It’s not that Palmer or any of the others need to replicate Diggs’ record-setting play — they just need to provide the offense with the same type of opportunity, and be capable against all levels of a defense in any situation.
After one full season without Diggs, it’s back to the drawing board in many ways. However, Amari Cooper, who spent the back half of the 2024 NFL season with Buffalo following a trade-deadline deal, remains an available UFA. Cooper’s arrival impacted the Bills’ draft board this year, having lost their third-round selection in the deal.
Cooper didn’t have a magical season with Buffalo, catching just 20 passes (32 targets) for 297 yards and two touchdowns per Pro Football Reference. His most memorable play was the lateral to Josh Allen near the goal line against the San Francisco 49ers. Most concerning was Cooper’s availability, where he started just four of eight games thanks to a wrist injury that hampered him even after a return to action late in the season.
Stats aside, Cooper’s importance to the offense remains overlooked. His presence alone made defenses account for an element absent of Buffalo’s offense before the trade. By forcing teams to defend Cooper, that opened up options elsewhere.
That Cooper is still unsigned over a week into free agency should come as a surprise. Though he’ll turn 31 in June, Cooper is still viewed as an elite player — now occupying NFL.com’s top slot for remaining UFAs, and slotting in at 11th overall at the outset of free agency.
So what gives — is it about contract framework, team/lifestyle fit... something else? One would have to imagine that Beane has been in contact with Cooper, unless things behind the scenes really didn’t mesh.
I tend to believe that it is something else entirely. The wrist injury, specifically. There had been discussion about whether Cooper could have or should have had surgery to repair his wrist, but he ultimately chose not to in-season. That’s admirable from the vantage point of him wanting to be available to the team, never mind his willingness to play through obvious pain.
But it’s impossible not to wonder if he’s exploring additional options regarding his wrist. It’s also impossible to know if that’s the case. At this point, it’s simply an opinion and something to monitor as it relates to news about Cooper.
Cornerback Rasul Douglas was another player who Beane brought to the Bills via a trade-deadline deal back in 2023. Douglas’ arrival midseason that year was pivotal to the team’s success late during the campaign. He was a true complement to Christian Benford as a physical zone-savvy defensive back.
Douglas entered last season without a contract extension, and many wondered if his tenure at One Bills Drive was to be short lived. We know now that’s true, but his failure to land with a new team yet may have caught some off-guard. Certainly, Douglas’ 2024 season wasn’t up to the standard he’d set — the stats were decent, but his pursuit speed was observably slow.
Set to turn 30 just before the regular season begins, it’s possible that Douglas’ best days are behind him. But there are plenty of cornerbacks whose play remains elite after 30, including former Bill Stephon Gilmore, who’s still active (and a UFA) at age 34. Douglas landed at 80 on NFL.com’s list of this year’s best-available players — meanwhile Gilmore is just above him at 78.
Again, we aren’t privy to the reasons why Douglas wasn’t given a contract extension, nor can we know why he hasn’t returned at this point in free agency. All we can do is guess, whether that be One Bills Drive wanting to give Kaiir Elam every opportunity they could — before he was traded in an offseason where he couldn’t show them anything different — or Douglas looking for a deal that didn’t meet up with Beane’s plans... or, otherwise.
We only know that Douglas and Cooper are both still unsigned and considered among the best remaining unrestricted free agents. Should Beane and the Bills figure out a way to bring either or both players back for the 2025 season?