A five-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders, Cowboys and Browns, Cooper joined the Bills to bring a potential go-to target to Buffalo. Instead, he’s become simply one of the crew. Nine Bills players generated 250-plus receiving yards, and 13 caught at least one receiving TD, but no single player broke the 825 receiving yards mark.
Being a role player for a winner is perfectly fine with Cooper.
“You have so many players that are doing their job that they can get the job done without you,” Cooper said. “So that’s kind of where my ego dies and the pride is put aside for the sake of the team.”
In his decade in the NFL, Cooper has earned seven seasons with 1,000-plus yards. In 2024, he put up a career-low 547 yards and 44 catches with four TDs. Yet, he finally found a place to have postseason success.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady credited Cooper’s selflessness for helping make the receiver corps whole.
“He’s part of our group that makes our group kind of who they are, and he’s leading it,” Brady said. “He doesn’t care about the stats right now, and he knows that him being on the field helps our offense.”
Sunday, Cooper and the Bills will face the back-to-back champion Kansas City Chiefs with a chance to get to the Super Bowl. In the Week 11 meeting against K.C., Cooper earned 55 yards on two catches.