Saints Labeled 'Logical Landing Spot' For Ex-Cowboys 5-Time Pro Bowler

The former No. 4 overall pick played for the Bills last season

Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A New Orleans Saints helmet during the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have a messy cap situation that will force them to be shrewd and thrifty on the free agent market.

If the Saints have any chance of bringing in a marquee name on offense, it will have to be a guy who is trending downward in his career and thus won’t demand a fat deal.

Pro Football Network’s Sterling Xie may have identified one such player for the Saints. On Thursday, Xie predicted that New Orleans could sign a 30-year-old, five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who most recently played for the Buffalo Bills but has also suited up for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, and Oakland Raiders in his career.

“Given their cap outlook, the New Orleans Saints could have a tough time adding anything beyond a one-year contract,” Xie wrote. “Fortunately for the Saints (and unfortunately for the player), Amari Cooper is unlikely to sniff anything close to his last five-year contract of $100 million.”

“Cooper was limited to 20 catches for 297 yards in eight games after his trade to Buffalo, missing two games with a wrist injury (he also sat out the Week 18 contest with many of the Bills’ starters).”

“Even when he did play, the Bills essentially rotated Cooper with Mack Hollins. Cooper averaged 28 snaps per game with Buffalo, the fifth-most among wide receivers on the team. He only received more than five targets in one of the eight games he played.”

“New Saints coach Kellen Moore was Cooper’s offensive coordinator in Dallas from 2019-21, so there’s familiarity with the player. If Cooper can’t command more than one year of guarantees as he approaches his 31st birthday, the Saints would make for a logical landing spot in 2025.”

Although Cooper’s prime years might be in the rearview, he’d bring talent and experience to a Saints offense in desperate need of both. Who knows, maybe the former No. 4 overall pick out of Alabama would experience a career resurgence if he joined up with Derek Carr and Kellen Moore.

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