Bills (Amari Cooper), Jets (Davante Adams) Trading For Receivers On Same Day Not Based On Similar Motives

There's an apparent arms race in the AFC East between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, as both teams on Tuesday traded for former Pro Bowl receivers – the Jets for Davante Adams and the Bills for Amari Cooper.

But let's not mistake this as two division rivals doing the same thing.

Because the motives here are vastly different.

The Jets are hoping their move works with little evidence it can make them a winner. The Bills are hoping their move works but already have clear evidence they are a winner.

Jets Operating On Instinct

What the Jets are doing is going for broke. 

They're making this trade out of desperation, hoping it leads to something for a 2-4 team that could be breaking up after the season. 

The Jets have the best Hail Mary quarterback in NFL history and what they're doing in recent days is the equivalent of launching a desperation pass downfield, hoping it pays off.

"I am doing absolutely everything," Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters at the NFL meeting in Atlanta. "Everything."

And, Johnson admitted, it was being done on instinct.

"You know, thinking is overrated," Johnson said. "Talladega Nights, you've heard of that? Remember that one scene he said, ‘You’re not a thinker, you're a driver.' Right? And a lot of times you have to go with your instinct and the best thing to build a team and a winning team."

Two Deals Not The Same

The Bills aren't doing that. They're not flying by the seat of their pants, making moves to build a team in mid-October to save a season.

The Buffalo season doesn't need saving. They're in first place in the AFC East with a 4-2 record, and they've already beaten two of their three division rivals. 

What the Bills are doing is refining. Improving.

And taking an opportunity presented. 

They were already a likely playoff team – currently the fourth seed in the conference – before sending a 2025 third- and 2026 seventh-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for the 30-year-old Cooper and a 2025 sixth-rounder.

The two deals were agreed to only hours apart. But the two deals don't come from the same motivation.

Bills Knew Their Flaw

The Bills, frankly, came into this season knowing they had a hole in their receiver room. How else to put it while understanding the club traded away Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans?

But the Bills were aware of their issue. It didn't just dawn on them in recent weeks.

They came into the season accepting that because they happen to have the best quarterback in the division and perhaps the entire league in Josh Allen. And they understood he could raise the game of players such as rookie Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir.

That has happened somewhat, but the Bills are lagging with the NFL's 25th-ranked passing offense. They're averaging only 186.3 passing yards per game.

And although Allen has not thrown an interception, he could definitely use more talent on the outside.

Enter Cooper.

Cooper Struggling After Great 2023

The Browns, with the season already on the brink, have been open to offers for the 30-year-old Cooper over the past few weeks. 

Even though he recorded a career-high 1,250 receiving yards in 2023, the Browns understood he's in the final year of his contract and was struggling on a poor offense. 

"We appreciate Amari's hard work, professionalism and on-field contributions throughout his two plus seasons with us," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said in a statement. "He created many memorable moments with us and was an integral part of our 2023 playoff team. We wish him the best in Buffalo as he continues his NFL career."

So off Cooper goes. Just as Adams left the Raiders overnight.

They look like similar moves. They're different.