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Never one to be outdone by a divisional foe, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane took the New York Jets’ Tuesday acquisition of former All-Pro wideout Davante Adams to the next level by becoming a multiple Pro Bowl pass himself catcher, striking a deal to bring Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper across Lake Erie and to One Bills Drive. Both New York and Buffalo’s moves come after a Monday night football clash in which both teams struggled to move the ball through the air consistently, something that has been a constant for both teams all season. These teams both felt the need to take action now and try to revive their respective passing attacks.

It was an obvious move for the Jets. Adams wanted to get away from Las Vegas and their scrappy offense, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers loves hanging out with his friends. Whether it’s Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb or even former offensive coordinator Nate Hackett, it’s a collective of Mr. Rodgers’ friends doing their best to make the Jets relevant. However, this move for Adams makes a lot more sense than any other move for this offense, as Adams is still a tough receiver to cover and certainly understands what Rodgers is asking of his receivers.

Related: What acquiring WR Amari Cooper means for the Bills receiving corps

In Orchard Park, there has been a clear need for a wide receiver since the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis in the offseason. The Bills entered the season on the theory that spreading the ball to as many receivers as possible would fill Diggs’ void overall. They kept Khalil Shakir on his rookie contract, signed Curtis Samuel as a free agent, brought in Mack Hollins as a depth player and drafted Keon Coleman out of Florida State in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, if none of these receivers open consistently , this makes the “everyone eats” philosophy seem more like a famine than a feast.

This trade changes the entire dynamic of the Bills offense, especially the roles those previous receivers were previously in.

Before this trade, Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid were the only players who were consistently open. Shakir was a great player when he was thrown in, but Kincaid hasn’t quite reached his full potential as Buffalo expected him to in 2024. When Coleman was drafted, it was with the caveat that he was a raw player with a talented skill set and so he would. needed time to grow and develop into the role the Bills wanted him to play. With Samuel, it was difficult for the team to integrate him into the offense as just part of the passing attack. Monday’s game against the Jets was actually his best game as a receiver with the Bills.

By adding Cooper, the Bills can essentially push everyone into roles that better suit them. Coleman is going to be someone who doesn’t need to win 100% of the time against tight coverage, as Cooper has the skills, hands and route-running chops to break open against anyone. Shakir can thrive even more in the slot, and Samuel can play a more flexible role as he can find his way on the boundary, in the slot or even out of the backfield. As for Cooper, this has to be some of the best news he has received in his career. The moribund Cleveland Browns, with Deshaun Watson running the offense and holding the entire franchise hostage with his massive, Scrooge McDuck-esque contract, have been absolutely terrible since taking over. He’s been so bad that Cooper essentially earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2023 thanks to a nearly 40-year-old Joe Flacco coming off the bench to throw passes for the Browns for half a season.

Related: Social media is reacting to the Bills’ acquisition of WR Amari Cooper

In terms of compensation, the aforementioned Diggs trade is critical to this as it means the Bills have multiple second-round picks in 2025. This made the asking price of a third round pick for Cooper all the easier to afford. Additionally, the Bills sent a seventh-round pick in 2026 and received a sixth-round pick in 2025 packaged with Cooper.

Was this move made in response to the Jets making the Adams trade? Probably not. In all likelihood, after Sunday night’s disastrous debacle against the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills saw the problem in front of them and went to work to figure something out. Transactions like these don’t happen overnight, even though it sometimes seems that way. It takes time to figure out what will work, and ultimately it takes two people agreeing on the same terms. It’s not easy, but Brandon Beane and the Bills found a way to get a deal done and improve their team in a big way.

Not bad for a Victory Tuesday afternoon.

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