Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The New York Jets announced Tuesday morning the team had swung a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire wide receiver Davante Adams.
Just a few hours later, the Buffalo Bills made a trade with the Cleveland Browns to acquire wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Related
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Wednesday the timing of Adams' trade to New York did not speed up the process of Buffalo acquiring Cooper, and the two sides had already been close to a deal.
"By the time their move was announced, we had honed in on Amari," Beane said while addressing the media. "I was monitoring that one, checking around, and I would say by Monday afternoon felt there was a fairly decent chance that we could do this with Cleveland."
The Browns had already played their game on Sunday, losing 20-16 to the Philadelphia Eagles, which dropped them to 1-5 on the season.
At that time, the Bills had not yet played their game Monday night against the Jets.
"I had a conversation with them Sunday evening, then a couple more on Monday, maybe even a couple of hours before the game. When you're that close to the game, you're kind of focused on that, like, 'Hhey, let us get through. Let us see where we are health-wise, and I’ll call you tomorrow,'" Beane explained.
The Bills beat the Jets, 23-20, to move to 4-2 in the AFC East, and take a commanding lead in the division after the Jets fell to 2-4 with the loss.
"We were not to the finish line. I would say we were really close by the time [the Jets' trade for Adams] was announced," Beane said.
He added he was monitoring the Adams situation, and once that trade was announced, he moved his chips into trying to acquire Cooper.
The Bills traded a third-round pick in next April’s draft, along with a seventh-round pick in 2026, to the Browns for Cooper and a sixth-round pick next year.
They also released wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling shortly after making the deal.
Beane says Cooper, the former fourth overall pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 2015 NFL Draft, has a versatile skillset that will benefit the entire wide receiver unit and offense in Buffalo.
"He's a well-respected guy for what he's done in the league as long as he's been," Beane said of the 10-year veteran, whose had seven 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons. "Part of the pre-draft process when I was in Carolina, I got to spent some time with him and he's very football smart. He loves ball and he's very, very smart. Outside perimeter receiver, not that he can't play inside, but very good route runner. Smooth. He can stretch the field vertically."
