The NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching. Nov. 5th is when teams have to move on or live with its decisions, and there have been some major names shuffled around already in the month of October.
The Cleveland Browns, seeing its future and knowing how hard it'd be to get over a 1-5 hump, sent Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills after its Week 6 loss to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a third round pick next year and seventh rounder in 2026. At first glance, the trade felt like a surrender from the Browns and a bit of a fleece by the team at the same time. A third round pick can be valuable, while Cooper's impact was a question mark given he leads the league in drops this year.
Well, Cooper answered that question mark with an exclamation mark in Week 7 - he had one passing touchdown from Josh Allen in addition to 66 receiving yards on four receptions. He looked great as Buffalo's new WR1, and seemed to gel well with a new quarterback.
Cooper was one of the earlier trades to happen this season, though. Prior to him, Davante Adams was sent off to the New York Jets in exchange for a conditional third round pick - so similar to that of what Cleveland got back for Cooper. Both were traded in the same week, so it felt like a market had been set for any other big name receivers set to hit the trade block.
Well, one name that's also going from a floundering team to a contending one is star receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins was with the Tennessee Titans to start the season, but will now join the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and star QB Patrick Mahomes. That trade was similar to the Cooper one and the Adams one - a pick package for a receiver. Except, Kansas City only ended up sending a conditional fourth round pick for Hopkins.
Hopkins is 32 years old and entering his 11th season in the league. He's still a major target downfield, with 173 receiving yards and one touchdown under his belt with the Titans this season. With a new - and much better - quarterback to work with, Hopkins can end up seeing quite a few targets.
Cooper, on the other hand, is younger and had no clear injuries this season with Cleveland. A third round pick is just right in terms of compensation for his services, and the Browns got lucky landing that from Buffalo. With Hopkins - another veteran and star - only netting a fourth round pick for Tennessee, it's clear that the Browns struck at the right time. Had it waited any longer, it might have seen similar proposals for Cooper, and at that point, he'd likely still be in Ohio.