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Amari Cooper

Cooper with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021

Position:

Wide receiver

Personal information

Born:

June 17, 1994 (age 31)
Miami, Florida, U.S.

Height:

6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

Weight:

210 lb (95 kg)

Career information

High school:

Miami Northwestern

College:

Alabama (2012–2014)

NFL Draft:

2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4

Career history

Career highlights and awards

5× Pro Bowl (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023)
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2015)
BCS national champion (2012)
Fred Biletnikoff Award (2014)
Paul Warfield Trophy (2014)
Unanimous All-American (2014)
SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2014)
First-team All-SEC (2014)

Career NFL statistics as of 2024

Receptions:	711
Receiving yards:	10,033
Receiving touchdowns:	64

Player stats at PFR

Amari Cooper (born June 17, 1994) is an American professional football player. He plays as a wide receiver, which means he catches passes from the quarterback. Amari played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. In 2014, he won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the country. He was also named an unanimous All-American, meaning he was recognized as one of the best players in college football by all major selectors.

The Oakland Raiders chose Amari in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. He had great first two seasons, gaining over 1,000 yards each year and being picked for the Pro Bowl twice. In 2018, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys. His performance improved with the Cowboys, and he earned another Pro Bowl spot. He continued to have successful seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020. In 2022, Amari was traded to the Cleveland Browns. He made history with the Browns by having two 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023. In the middle of the 2024 season, the Browns traded Amari to the Buffalo Bills.

Early Life and High School Football

Amari Cooper was born on June 17, 1994, in Miami, Florida. He went to Miami Northwestern Senior High School. In his junior year, he was a key player for his team, even though he missed some games due to an injury. He caught 16 passes for 175 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Before his senior year, Amari showed off his skills at many college camps. He had an amazing performance at Alabama's summer camp. This led to an offer from coach Nick Saban and the Alabama team. In his final high school year, he caught 33 passes for 722 yards and six touchdowns. He was chosen as a top player in Florida. Amari also played in the Under Armour All-America Game in 2012. In that game, he scored a 75-yard touchdown and returned a punt for a 93-yard touchdown. Besides football, Amari was also good at basketball and track.

Amari was considered one of the best high school football players in the country. He chose to play for the University of Alabama in September 2011.

College Football Career

Freshman Year at Alabama (2012)

As a freshman at Alabama, Amari played in all 14 games. He started in the last nine games of the season. He led his team with 59 catches for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 11 touchdowns broke a 62-year-old record at Alabama. His catches and receiving yards also broke freshman records set by Julio Jones.

In the SEC Championship, Amari had eight catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. This helped Alabama win 32–28 against Georgia. His touchdown catch with three minutes left gave Alabama the lead. In the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, Alabama beat Notre Dame 42–14. Amari was the top receiver for Alabama with six catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He was named a Freshman All-American and was part of the SEC All-Freshman team.

Sophomore Year at Alabama (2013)

In 2013, Amari played in 12 games, starting seven of them. He missed two games because of an injury. He had 45 catches for 736 yards and four touchdowns. His best game was against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. He caught six passes for 178 yards. This included a school record 99-yard touchdown catch from quarterback A. J. McCarron. In the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma, he had nine catches for 121 yards, but Alabama lost 45–31.

Junior Year at Alabama (2014)

As a junior in 2014, Amari set many new records for Alabama. Against Tennessee, he broke the school record for most receiving yards in a single game with 224 yards. He matched this record later against Auburn. For the whole season, Amari had 124 catches for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns. Both of these were school records. His 124 catches also set a new record for the SEC conference.

Amari became Alabama's all-time leader in catches (228), receiving yards (3,463), and receiving touchdowns (31). He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding player in college football. He finished third in the voting. That season, he won the Biletnikoff Award and was named a unanimous All-American. After his junior season, Amari decided to enter the 2015 NFL draft.

Professional Football Career

Oakland Raiders (2015–2018)

The Oakland Raiders picked Amari Cooper as the fourth overall player in the 2015 NFL draft. He quickly became an important player for the team.

2015 Season: Rookie Success

Amari made his NFL debut on September 13, 2015. In his second game, he gained 109 yards and scored his first touchdown. The next week, he set a rookie record for the Raiders with eight catches for 134 yards. He was the first Raiders receiver since 2005 to have two games in a row with over 100 receiving yards. By December 2015, Amari became the first rookie in Raiders history to reach 1,000 receiving yards. He also set a rookie record with 72 catches. Amari was chosen as an alternate for the Pro Bowl and ended up playing in the game. He was also named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.

2016 Season: Second Pro Bowl

Amari had another strong season in 2016. In the first game, he caught six passes for 137 yards. Later in the season, he had 12 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Overall, he had 83 catches for 1,153 yards and five touchdowns. Amari was named to his second straight Pro Bowl.

2017 Season: Injury Challenges

Cooper in 2017

In 2017, Amari had a tough season with an ankle injury. However, in Week 7, he had an amazing game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He caught 11 passes for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns. This was the most yards by any NFL player at that point in the season. It was also the second-most in Raiders history and the first time a Raiders player had over 200 yards since 1965. For this great performance, Amari was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with 48 catches for 680 yards but scored a career-high seven touchdowns.

2018 Season Start

The Raiders decided to keep Amari for another year in April 2018. In Week 4, he caught eight passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks later, he suffered a concussion during a game in London.

Dallas Cowboys (2018–2021)

2018 Season: Traded to Dallas

On October 22, 2018, Amari was traded to the Dallas Cowboys. In his first game with the Cowboys, he led the team with five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown. On Thanksgiving Day, Amari had a fantastic game with eight catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns, including a 90-yard touchdown catch. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this game.

Two weeks later, Amari had an even better game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He caught 10 passes for a career-high 217 yards and three touchdowns. His last touchdown in overtime came after the ball was tipped by a defender. His 217 receiving yards were the most by any player in a single game that season. He earned his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Amari was also chosen for his third Pro Bowl.

The Cowboys won their division and made it to the playoffs. In the first playoff game, Amari had seven catches for 106 yards in a win against the Seattle Seahawks. He finished the 2018 season with 75 catches, 1,005 yards, and seven touchdowns combined between the Raiders and Cowboys.

2019 Season: Another 1,000-Yard Year

Cooper alongside Landon Collins in a game against the Washington Redskins

Amari felt that moving to the Cowboys was very helpful for his career. In the first game of the 2019 season, he caught six passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. In Week 5, he had a new career-high with 11 catches for 226 yards and a touchdown. In Week 14, he reached 1,000 receiving yards for the season. Amari was named to his fourth Pro Bowl for his performance in 2019. He finished the season with 79 catches for a career-high 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns.

2020 Season: Consistent Performer

In March 2020, Amari signed a new five-year contract with the Cowboys. Even though the Cowboys had four different quarterbacks start due to injuries, Amari still had a great season. He reached at least 100 receiving yards in four games. He finished the 2020 season with a career-high 92 catches for 1,114 yards and five touchdowns.

2021 Season: More Touchdowns

In the first game of the 2021 season, Amari set a new Cowboys record for most catches in a season opener with 13 receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 8, he caught eight passes for 122 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Amari missed two games due to health protocols. He finished the 2021 season with 68 catches for 865 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. In the playoffs, he had six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, but the Cowboys lost.

Cleveland Browns (2022–2024)

Cooper with the Browns in 2023

2022 Season: Leading the Browns

On March 16, 2022, Amari was traded to the Cleveland Browns. In Week 11, he had eight catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 17, he caught three passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the 2022 season with 78 catches for 1,160 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns.

2023 Season: Breaking Records

On December 24, 2023, Amari had an incredible game against the Houston Texans. He gained a career-high 265 receiving yards, which broke the Browns' single-game receiving record. He also became only the second player in NFL history to have a game with over 200 receiving yards for three different teams. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for this historic game. Amari was chosen for his fifth Pro Bowl. He finished the 2023 season with 72 catches for a career-high 1,250 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He became the first Browns wide receiver to have two 1,000-yard seasons in a row.

2024 Season: Traded to Buffalo

Amari played six games with the Browns in the 2024 season. He caught 24 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. On October 15, 2024, the Browns traded Amari to the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo Bills (2024)

Amari played his first game for the Bills in Week 7. He caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, helping the Bills win. He missed two games due to a wrist injury. In a Week 13 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Amari caught a pass and then lateraled the ball back to quarterback Josh Allen. Allen then ran it in for a touchdown. This play gave Allen both a passing touchdown and a receiving touchdown on the same play! Amari finished the 2024 season with 44 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns.

NFL Career Statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Rushing					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2015	OAK	16	15	72	1,070	14.9	68	6	3	−3	−1.0	2	0	1	1
2016	OAK	16	14	83	1,153	13.9	64	5	1	0	0.0	0	0	2	0
2017	OAK	14	12	48	680	14.2	87	7	1	4	4.0	4	0	1	0
2018	OAK	6	6	22	280	12.7	36	1	1	9	9.0	9	0	0	0
2018	DAL	9	9	53	725	13.7	90	6	1	11	11.0	11	0	2	2
2019	DAL	16	16	79	1,189	15.1	53	8	1	6	6.0	6	0	0	0
2020	DAL	16	15	92	1,114	12.1	69	5	6	14	2.3	10	0	0	0
2021	DAL	15	14	68	865	12.7	41	8	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	0
2022	CLE	17	17	78	1,160	14.9	55	9	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2023	CLE	15	15	72	1,250	17.4	75	5	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	1
2024	CLE	6	6	24	250	10.4	24	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2024	BUF	8	4	20	297	14.9	30	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Career		154	143	711	10,033	14.1	90	64	14	41	2.9	11	0	9	4

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Receiving					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2016	OAK	1	1	2	10	5.0	9	0	0	0
2018	DAL	2	2	13	171	13.2	34	1	1	0
2021	DAL	1	1	6	64	10.7	20	1	0	0
2023	CLE	1	1	4	59	14.8	19	0	0	0
2024	BUF	3	1	6	41	6.8	10	0	0	0
Career		8	6	31	345	11.1	34	2	1	0

Records and Achievements

Raiders Team Records

First rookie to gain 1,000 receiving yards for the team.

Browns Team Records

Most receiving yards in one game: 265 yards (set in Week 16, 2023).

Personal Life

Amari Cooper enjoys playing chess. He first became interested in the game when he was in elementary school. As a football player, he sees how chess strategies can be used in his play on the field. He even competed in a rapid chess tournament for NFL players called BlitzChamps and finished in second place.