While not impossible to make up for missing receivers in the aggregate, sometimes having a veteran who can get 10 targets a game from multiple spots on the field is just a really good thing to have.
Some might consider the Buffalo Bills’ foray into wide receiver free agency a success. After all, Mack Hollins had 31 grabs, 378 yards and five touchdowns for the bargain-basement price of $2.6 million. Maybe that off-set Curtis Samuel’s $15 million guaranteed over three years (and $30 million in total value) deal with the Bills (not really). Add in the draft manoevering that landed them Keon Coleman in the second round, the Bills did plenty to address the wide receiver position, namely, the departure of Stefon Diggs.
But was it enough? Khalil Shakir was, by far, the team’s most productive receiver on the season, netting 100 targets over 17 games. But with 821 yards, he only averaged 10.8 yards a catch. Tight end Dalton Kincaid finished with 75 targets for a similarly unappetizing 10.2 yards a grab. Perhaps, as the cliche goes, “everyone eats” means more than “no one eats a whole lot.”
Dec 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) catches a 17-yard touchdown pass against Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp (9) and cornerback Rasul Douglas (31) in the third quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Rams recently told veteran receiver and former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp the team was seeking to trade him, ending an impressive career in Los Angeles as the second player head coach Sean McVay drafted there. And the Bills should strongly consider the move.
Not because Shakir can’t play — he can — and not because the Bills needed a consistent receiver above anything else in a 32-29 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC championship game. Not even because they already traded for a Cooper — Amari Cooper, who barely had time to get going after languishing under one of the worst quarterback rooms in the NFL in Cleveland.
They should do it because a versatile, inside-out receiver who can run all routes from outside or the slot, fights for yards after the catch and would be the only player to have won a Super Bowl MVP on offense on the Bills’ roster (much love, Von Miller). He’s still able to play at a high level, but the emergence of Puka Nacua in the Rams’ offense, and Kupp’s escalating salary, makes it a business decision, not a personal one.
Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) catches the ball as Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (34) defends in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
And Amari is a free agent anyway. So they’re down a receiver.
Kupp is due $20 million in salary — $5 million of it guaranteed in the form of a roster bonus due March 15. He’s under contract through 2026, but nothing in his final year is guaranteed. It’s certainly possible for the Bills to acquire Kupp, who’s salary likely wouldn’t create huge demand for his services via trade, without having to spend huge draft capital. Considering reasonable concerns over his health — he’s played 33 games the last three seasons — it’s possible no one wants to take his contract, and he’ll be released.
Cooper went for a third and a sixth at the trade deadline. Kupp is available on the more wholesale market of the offseason, and might be available via free agency. His contract probably lessens the asking price as well. It’s a move Buffalo can make, and can add another weapon to an already potent offense.