Let’s make one thing clear about how professional athletes usually think.
Winning cures all. Full stop. End of story. It’s undebatable.
How else do you explain Amari Cooper’s current mindset as a member of the Buffalo Bills, who are one win away from Super Bowl 59? The Cleveland Browns mercifully traded Cooper to Buffalo in mid-October. But ever since, he hasn’t really contributed much to the Bills’ winning ways.
Seriously, for a supposed No. 1-caliber receiver, Cooper has just 20 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns in eight appearances. In the 2025 playoffs alone, he has four total targets. Woof.
Yet, none of that seems to matter for the veteran Cooper. After being stuck on the listless Browns in the middle of his prime, he simply seems grateful he gets to be part of a winning operation in Buffalo. Period. That says it all about what kind of teammate and leader he is and what kind of example he wants to set.
Take a look at Cooper’s comments from Thursday about prioritizing team over individual success.
Man was Amari Cooper awesome to talk to today!
Here's just one of his phenomenal thoughts regarding team over self based upon his experiences winning championships before the NFL.
"Ego dies and the pride's put aside for the sake of the team."#Bills pic.twitter.com/XjYzA3JlsB
— Jon Scott (@JonScottTV) January 22, 2025
Man, this was so awesome to hear. I love that Cooper doesn’t seem bothered at all by his lack of production. Even more so, I’m so happy for a guy like him finally getting to experience the joys of successful playoff football. These are the sorts of athletes you truly love rooting for.
And if I know the NFL (I like to think I do), something tells me Cooper’s name won’t be as discrete as it has been through the rest of this Bills’ postseason run. I’ve seen defenses stop game-planning for playmakers who aren’t producing so often, only for those guys to inevitably explode. It’s like clockwork.
If Cooper’s opportunity arrives to actually contribute, you know his head will be in the right place.
