The Bills need a wide receiver. Who could fill the void ahead of the NFL trade deadline?
The Bills could need a trade to aid their remade WR room. Could Davante Adams, Amari Cooper and others be options?
www.nytimes.com
The Buffalo Bills entered the season hoping their refresh of the receiver position would be enough to push them forward.
With slot receiver Khalil Shakir as the mainstay, the team added the quartet of rookie Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, hoping something would stick. Though Shakir has taken a sizable step forward in his third year and there have been some flashes from Coleman, the rest of the group has left much to be desired.
The Bills used their running game to their advantage in the first two weeks, which helped mask the wide receiver concerns. But the most recent two-game stretch puts a bull’s-eye on the position. There has been a failure to separate, and worse yet, it’s placing franchise quarterback Josh Allen in more compromising positions to take big hits.
For the Bills to push toward the Super Bowl this season, their receivers likely cannot remain the same. Along with dedicating more snaps to Shakir and Coleman, a fresh face — someone Allen can turn to in big moments — looks like a necessity.
There is still a little under a month until the Nov. 5 trade deadline, but with one big name on the precipice of getting dealt, it’s time to take a full-scale look at players to monitor and how they would fit the Bills’ situation.
| Receptions 18 | Yards 209 | Targets 27 |
| YPRR 1.66 | aDOT 9.7 | Target % 21.4% |
Davante Adams is atop the list because he’s the likeliest to be on the move soon. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Bills checked in, so there is at least some level of interest there. However, checking in is part of general manager Brandon Beane’s usual operating procedure with players potentially on the market at positions of interest. The talent is easy to see, and Adams would easily become Allen’s go-to receiver. Adams, 31, has the talent and skill set to fill either boundary role in the Bills’ scheme.
However, a few things stand in the way of this partnership. The first is cap space. The Bills have only $2.9 million in cap room, according to the most recent NFL Players Association daily report, and are also running short on contracts they can manufacture cap space with by converting high base salaries into prorated roster bonuses. If the Bills acquired Adams this week, he’d carry a cap hit of $12.28 million. They would need the Las Vegas Raiders to take on the majority of Adams’ cap hit, which would up the draft pick compensation cost, creating another problem.
Going for someone like Adams would also be a slightly abnormal move for Beane, who usually prefers more than a one-year rental. Adams carries a non-guaranteed cap hit of $35 million in 2025, which likely means it’d be a short-term fix.
Davante Adams trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Davante Adams | $12,282,352.94 | $11,258,823.53 | $10,235,294.12 | $9,211,764.71 | $8,188,235.29 | $17,400,000 | $1,023,529.41 |
Verdict: Adams would be a phenomenal on-field fit. You can never say never to a player with his talent. But there are legitimate hurdles the Bills would need to clear to make it go, and it could be too much to overcome for this to work out.
| Receptions 20 | Yards 208 | Targets 47 |
| YPRR 1.00 | aDOT 13.89 | Target % 22.5% |
Amari Cooper, 30, is a perfect fit from a cap perspective. The Cleveland Browns brought Cooper’s base salary down to the veteran minimum in a cap-saving move, which in turn hikes up Cooper’s trade value. Of all the names listed, Cooper’s contract is the most conducive to trade for a player not on a rookie deal. However, his deal expires after the season, meaning it would potentially be a high trade cost for just a few months.
Cooper might be more of an X-receiver in the Bills’ scheme, but he can transfer to the other boundary position because of his talent. With Hollins getting on-field time at Z-receiver despite being better suited to X, the Bills seem open to using a receiver this way if he has some speed to his game. They need someone who can take over a game from the receiver position, and Cooper can put up some monster games with a high volume of targets. Cooper has been ineffective from a drop perspective and has five this year.
Still, over the previous four seasons, he averaged only five per season, so some positive regression is likely coming his way.
Amari Cooper trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Amari Cooper | $854,117.65 | $782,941.18 | $711,764.71 | $640,588.24 | $569,411.76 | $1,210,000 | $71,176.47 |
Verdict: Cooper isn’t a home run fit because of the draft pick cost for his contract, his expiring contract and the usual role he plays for a team. However, his talent and cap hit relative to the Bills’ current cap situation should place him firmly on the radar in a potential trade scenario.
| Receptions 23 | Yards 262 | Targets 45 |
| YPRR 1.66 | ADOT 9.71 | Target % 28.5% |
The Carolina Panthers are looking at yet another lost season, and even though they just traded for Diontae Johnson, 28, in the offseason, it might be more worthwhile to move him and collect a young asset in the form of a draft pick. From an on-field perspective, he’s an electric route runner who gains ample separation while slotting in perfectly to meet the current need at Z-receiver. His ability to win underneath is outstanding, and in a two-high-shell-dominated NFL world, Johnson could be a target sponge with an elite quarterback.
The biggest thing standing in the Bills’ way is that Johnson is in the final year of his contract. He also has a higher cost because of his relatively young age compared to the other top receivers potentially on the market. There would be no guarantee of anything past 2024 if they did it, and that’s a slight risk for Beane and his roster.
However, they could look at it as a “try before you buy” situation to see how Johnson meshes with the room and, more importantly, Allen. Johnson’s cap hit is not prohibitive enough for them to rule it out, either. They can make it work. It all depends on trade cost and their willingness to take a slight risk with Johnson unsigned in 2025.
Diontae Johnson trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Diontae Johnson | $4,941,176.47 | $4,529,411.76 | $4,117,647.06 | $3,705,882.35 | $3,294,117.65 | $7,000,000 | $411,764.71 |
Verdict: Keep an eye on this one. Johnson has the type of talent to invest in and has several in-prime years remaining. If they’re going for a one-year rental type, it’d be worth seeing how he fits in with the Bills and whether it warrants a contract extension as a pillar player. He could be a star with Allen as his quarterback.
| Receptions 25 | Yards 273 | targets 36 |
| YPRR 1.50 | ADOT 9.89 | Target % 19.8% |
What if I told you the other Raiders receiver has the most compelling case from a Bills perspective? Adams is the flashier name, but Jakobi Meyers might be the best fit for what could benefit the Bills the most in the short term, along with satisfying Beane’s usual lean of deadline deals. Meyers can separate and knows how to find open space against a defense. He has never been a dazzling player, nor is he the first name people would think of for a potential receiver solution. But he’s a good player with the skill set to thrive in an offense with Allen as his quarterback.
Meyers, 27, would work most frequently at Z-receiver within the offense, allowing Coleman to play his natural role at X-receiver and keeping Shakir at slot receiver. The financial feasibility of it all takes this fit from good to great. If acquired ahead of the New York Jets game, Meyers would count only $3.4 million on the cap for the rest of 2024 due to proration. The Bills can find the minimal cap space they’d need to bring him on.
And what takes the fit from great to excellent is that Meyers has another manageable season ($10.5 million) on his contract that the Bills could hang on to for 2025, which, as we saw with Rasul Douglas last year, Beane prefers in trades.
Jakobi Meyers trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jakobi Meyers | $3,709,411.76 | $3,400,294.12 | $3,091,176.47 | $2,782,058.82 | $2,472,941.18 | $5,255,000 | $309,117.65 |
Verdict: If the Raiders are selling, Meyers is one of the best options out there that meets the team’s needs and cap concerns while being more than just a one-year rental.
| Receptions 10 | Yards 121 | Targets 14 |
| yprr 1.95 | adot 10.14 | Target % 22.6% |
At 32, DeAndre Hopkins is easily the oldest player on the list of potential Bills targets. But he still has some game left. His route-running wins would fit in nicely with Coleman and Shakir and provide some much-needed guidance to a receiver position that has seen better days. The Bills might need the Tennessee Titans to take a little of Hopkins’ contract to make it work, especially if they were to strike a deal sooner than later, but not an outlandish amount compared to Adams or others who would drive up the cost.
DeAndre Hopkins trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  DeAndre Hopkins | $6,557,647.06 | $6,011,176.47 | $5,464,705.88 | $4,918,235.29 | $4,371,764.71 | $9,290,000 | $546,470.59 |
Verdict: If the Bills were going to take a shot on an older receiver for a one-year rental, Hopkins is an excellent structural fit. He also likely wouldn’t cost a great deal in pick compensation because of his age. There are more desirable receivers who could factor into 2025, but Hopkins could be an ideal fallback plan.
| Receptions 21 | Yards 257 | Targets 33 |
| yprr 1.76 | adot 13.52 | Target % 22.6% |
Christian Kirk, 27, has been Trevor Lawrence’s go-to target in dire moments for years now. He can win with his route running underneath, and with his speed, he can push down the field for longer targets. He could fit into the Z-receiver role he used to play with the Arizona Cardinals, but Kirk has found a great NFL home working out of the slot, which is where he’s at his most productive. Trading for Kirk would provide an interesting decision with him and Shakir. Of all the names on this list, Kirk’s cap hit is the second highest.
Christian Kirk trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Christian Kirk | $10,588,235.29 | $9,705,882.35 | $8,823,529.41 | $7,941,176.47 | $7,058,823.53 | $15,000,000 | $882,352.94 |
Verdict: Kirk is a great player in the prime of his career, but he carries one of the largest cap hits of the trade targets and has a bit too much crossover with where Shakir is at his best. That seems like an imperfect fit.
| Receptions 17 | yards 224 | Targets 41 |
| yprr 1.37 | adot 13.39 | Target % 25.0% |
The Denver Broncos’ recent two-game winning streak pours some cold water on the idea of moving out someone like Courtland Sutton. But even if they were open to it, Sutton’s skill set is closer to Coleman’s than anyone else’s on this list. Coleman should be a player they invest more time in on the field, and bringing someone who could stand in the way of that would be unwise. Regardless, Sutton can be a presence in the red zone, and if they wanted to go with two contested catch profiles to beat smaller defensive backs that way, he’d be a compelling fit. He also has a low cap hit in 2024, which would drive up the trade cost, and is signed in 2025, which Beane would like.
Courtland Sutton trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Courtland Sutton | $1,147,058.82 | $1,051,470.59 | $955,882.35 | $860,294.12 | $764,705.88 | $1,625,000 | $95,588.24 |
Verdict: Similar to Kirk with Shakir, Sutton’s role of duplicating Coleman’s more than you’d like becomes a big roadblock for a potential deal. The other contract-related peripherals are good, however.
| Receptions 12 | Yards 169 | Targets 20 |
| yprr 1.39 | adot 13.05 | Target % 16.4% |
Romeo Doubs trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Romeo Doubs | $695,294.12 | $637,352.94 | $579,411.76 | $521,470.59 | $463,529.41 | $985,000 | $57,941.18 |
Verdict: Romeo Doubs, 24, is young and has a favorable cap hit, though he has mostly slotted into the X-receiver role with the Green Bay Packers. It remains to be seen if he can flex over to Z-receiver or if that would be something the Bills would want to do on the fly. He’s been a high-snap player but has failed to stand out consistently. He isn’t a game-breaker, so he might not be as expensive as others. However, on the plus side, Doubs would be a great financial fit for the Bills, as he’s on his rookie deal and still has another year remaining in 2025. But it would be odd for the contending Packers to give up on him.
| Receptions 18 | Yards 244 | Targets 26 |
| yprr 1.41 | adot 12.04 | Target % 15.0% |
Darius Slayton trade cap hits
| WR | Pre-Week 6 | Pre-Week 7 | Pre-Week 8 | Pre-Week 9 | Pre-Week 10 | In-Season Money Owed | Prorated Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Darius Slayton | $2,294,117.65 | $2,102,941.18 | $1,911,764.71 | $1,720,588.24 | $1,529,411.76 | $3,250,000 | $191,176.47 |
Verdict: Beane’s close relationship with New York Giants GM Joe Schoen means the lines of communication are always open between the sides. If the Giants fall out of contention and see an opportunity to grab a late-round pick for a player like Darius Slayton, whom they might walk away from in the offseason anyway, that might be too good to pass up. Slayton, as he’s shown through his time in New York, can put up some big games every now and again. With a smaller cap hit too, Slayton would be a fallback option, but a good one at that.