The New York Jets don’t exactly seem to have the best roster in the NFL entering the 2025 season.
Fresh off a 5-12 season in 2024, the team has a new coaching staff, general manager, and quarterback. The team ended the Aaron Rodgers experiment after two seasons, and will roll with Justin Fields in 2025.
Fields has shown flashes in his career, but has never quite lived up to his status as a top draft pick. Of course, Fields has never been in the best situation for a young quarterback to succeed, so the Jets are hoping they can bring out the best that Fields can be.
If that’s going to happen, the Jets need to improve the supporting cast. Garrett Wilson is an elite, young receiver, but the team doesn’t have much else to get excited about on the offense.
Brandon Austin of Pro Football Network recently identified veteran free agent Amari Cooper as a logical fit with the Jets. Cooper spent 2024 with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills and has still shown to be a capable receiver and elite route-runner.
Regarding the fit of Cooper with the Jets, Austin offered the following:
Amari Cooper is not nearly the player he once was, but he could still be an upgrade for the Jets. He does turn 31 before the season starts and will need to prove he still has enough left in the tank to have a feature role in an offense. Cooper has had a strong NFL career, recording more than 10,000 receiving yards. He’s long been viewed as a reliable go-to option, but things never materialized for him in Buffalo.
Cooper’s size, experience, and route-running ability should still attract a Jets offense that finished 20th in EPA per dropback and 21st in pass success rate. His ceiling isn’t what it used to be, but with Wilson leading the pack and a talented backfield that features Breece Hall, New York won’t need Cooper to be the top option.
As Austin mentioned, Cooper isn’t the elite talent he once was, but he’s still a capable option.
In 2024, Cooper caught 44 passes for 547 yards and four touchdowns. The veteran spent the first six games of the season with the Browns before being traded to the Bills and playing in eight games with the team.
Overall, it was easily Cooper’s worst season as a pro. However, the Browns had one of the worst offenses in the league, and joining a team like the Bills mid-season is never easy.
At his best, though, Cooper was among the league’s top receivers. The Alabama product has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in seven of his 11 NFL seasons, and has over 10,000 yards for his career. Cooper has also made four Pro Bowls, with his most recent appearance coming in 2023.
Plus, in New York, Cooper wouldn’t have to be the top option. Wilson is the top receiving threat, while running back Breece Hall is a solid pass-catcher and rookie tight end Mason Taylor should fetch a fair amount of targets as well.
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