Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills confirmed that negotiations toward the potential sale of a minority stake in the franchise are "ongoing" following a Tuesday report that former NBA players Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady and former U.S. soccer player Jozy Altidore are interested in owning part of the team.

Sportico's Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams initially reported that Carter, McGrady and Altidore are pursuing a stake in the franchise.

The Athletic's Tim Graham previously reported in April that Bills owner Terry Pegula hired investment banking company Allen & Company to handle a potential sale with an estimated stake of 25 percent.

"Earlier this year, the Pegula family retained Allen & Company to explore the potential sale of a non-controlling, minority interest in the Bills," the team said in a statement shared by ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Since then, there has been a significant amount of interest, and our focus has been on finding the right partners for our organization. The process is on-going, and any potential investor cannot be confirmed or finalized until it is approved by the NFL.

"The Pegula family's continued commitment to our fans across this region and beyond, Western New York, and the new Highmark Stadium remains unchanged. Neither the team nor the Pegula family can comment any further at this point."

The Bills currently rank 30th in the NFL with a team valuation of $4.2 billion in the latest estimate by Forbes.

Graham's initial report detailing the involvement of Allen & Company described the reported stake of 25 percent as a "working figure" which was "not set in stone."

According to Graham, the hiring represented the first time Pegula was considering selling minority ownership since his family purchased the Bills in 2014 for $1.4 billion.

The Pegulas could be looking for more investors now that the franchise has committed to paying any overruns on projected costs for the team's new stadium.

The stadium, which is projected to open before the 2026 season, could leave Pegula responsible for approximately $1 billion in costs, Michael Petro, Mark Gaughan and Tim O'Shei recently reported for the Buffalo News.

Soshnick and Novy-Williams noted on Tuesday that the sale to Carter, McGrady and Altidore had not been signed, and that sources said it was "possible the investments do not happen."

All three former athletes spent portions of their professional careers in Toronto, on the opposite side of Lake Ontario from Pegula and the Bills.

McGrady was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 1997 and spent the first three seasons of his NBA career with the team. He played alongside Carter following the Raptors' decision to draft him the following year.

Altidore later played seven seasons for Toronto FC between 2015 and 2021, including his MLS Cup MVP campaign in 2017.

Now the trio is reportedly looking to become the latest group of former athletes to purchase a stake in NFL franchises. Former U.S. Gymnastics star Dominique Dawes was part of a bid for a minority stake in the Atlanta Falcons in May, while former NFL star Tom Brady is reportedly seeking to purchase a share of the Las Vegas Raiders pending team owners approval.

The Buffalo Bills have reportedly acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.

Here's a look at how this blockbuster deal between AFC rivals impacts the fantasy value for Josh Allen's top targets in Buffalo.

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Amari Cooper

Cooper's production is down this season from his 2023 Pro Bowl campaign for the Browns. He has 24 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns while struggling with drops as the Browns' offense stagnated through six games.

If those early-season struggles caused Cooper's value to drop in some fantasy leagues, now is the time to snag the wideout now that he's been given a fresh start, and the chance to catch passes from Allen rather than a faltering Deshaun Watson.

Cooper is also heading into the final season of his contract, so he has plenty to play for as he looks to earn his next deal by helping the Bills stay atop the AFC East. Both Cooper and Allen's fantasy values will almost certainly rise after the trade.

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Dalton Kincaid

In his second NFL season, Kincaid leads all Bill players through six games with 21 catches for 217 receiving yards and one touchdown. After a promising rookie campaign for the Bills in 2023, Kincaid is still looking for a breakout run in 2024.

Although he could see a slight decrease in target share with the arrival of Cooper in Buffalo, there's also the chance that the new wideout could present Kincaid with the opportunity for that breakout by opening the field and presenting the tight end with more catch-and-run opportunities. Kincaid's target volume is likely to decrease, but if he can take advantage of the extra space his fantasy value could remain steady.

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Khalil Shakir

Shakir, who is heading into his second season as a Bills starter, served as the Bills' top receiver through the start of the season with 20 receptions for 249 yards and two touchdowns through five appearances.

On one hand, opposing defenses will likely dedicate more resources toward limiting Cooper following the trade. On the other, Shakir already saw a season-low two targets during Monday's Week 6 loss to the New York Jets, and like Kincaid, he is likely to see a further decrease in usage with Cooper's arrival.

Although Shakir may be able to succeed in a more sheltered role, his fantasy stock is likely to take a hit due to his projected decrease in target share going forward.

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Keon Coleman

Coleman is likely to see the largest fantasy drop among Bills receivers after Cooper joins the team.

The rookie wideout has served as a secondary option behind Kincaid and Shakir, with 12 targets for 201 yards and two touchdowns through two games. He could see a significant drop in opportunities and, barring injuries higher up on the depth chart, is not likely to be a starting option for fantasy managers going forward.

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Cooper is set to make his Bills debut on Sunday as the Bills take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. The Tennessee offense may be struggling, but their defense has been largely effective in limiting opponents' pass options, so the 1-4 Titans could present a challenge for Cooper and Allen in their first game as teammates.

Buffalo Bills fans were happy to see the team act quickly after an AFC East rival made a notable upgrade to its receiving corps.

The Bills announced they finalized a trade to acquire wide receiver Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick from the Cleveland Browns for a 2025 third-rounder and a 2026 seventh-rounder. This comes on the same day the New York Jets traded for six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane received praise on social media for being aggressive and looking to improve with the team leading the division at 4-2:

Brandon Beane just said pic.twitter.com/sLaY7oFnMp

— 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝘿𝙚𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙨 (@TheThomasDeLaus) October 15, 2024

Rebuild year who? #Bills GM Brandon Beane is all in on winning this year. Wow.#BillsMafia

— Kevin Siracuse (@kevin_siracuse) October 15, 2024

You know what this trade says?

The #Bills, while acquiring less than $1 million in cap to do so, feel like they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders in a transitional year with Josh Allen.

Brandon Beane did double-dip at WR, and he did it in quite possibly the cheapest way…

— Ajay Cybulski (@AjayCybulski) October 15, 2024

Thanks to Brandon Beane, we don’t have to hear about the 2-4 Jets all week!

— Nate Geary (@NateGearySports) October 15, 2024

The Mack Hollins end-zone target from last night is why the Bills needed Amari Cooper. Need someone who can win in that situation.

Browns seem to have decided if they can field one of the worst offenses in recent history with Cooper, probably can't get much worse without him.

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 15, 2024

two weeks later... and he costs a little over $800k for the rest of the '24 season https://t.co/GljJnIj542

— Chris Trapasso 🏈 (@ChrisTrapasso) October 15, 2024

Just for the record, of the two wide receiver trades today, Cooper going to the Bills is bigger. And it’s not even close.

— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) October 15, 2024

The Bills trading for Amari Cooper is a MASSIVE move for their Super Bowl hopes moving forward.

The biggest thing holding them back was their passing game and they just gave Josh Allen a tremendous weapon to take their offense to another level!

— Mike Bundt (@Mike_Bundt) October 15, 2024

Following the offseason trade of Stefon Diggs, the early returns from the Bills offense were encouraging with quarterback Josh Allen spreading the ball around instead of focusing on one primary target.

The need for a true No. 1 wideout became more glaring after losses to the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.

Cooper's production to open 2024 leaves something to be desired. He has 24 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns, his 41.7 yards per game on pace to be a career low.

With a change of scenery, the 30-year-old might look more like the player who was a Pro Bowler in 2023.

Amari Cooper has the 5th lowest catchable target rate (62.3%) among WRs

Josh Allen's 59% highly accurate throw rate on throws beyond the line of scrimmage is second-best. Deshaun Watson (44%) is 26th-of-31 QB pic.twitter.com/UaCwPdX0vE

— Graham Barfield (@GrahamBarfield) October 15, 2024

Amari Cooper fantasy managers moving from Deshaun Watson to Josh Allen pic.twitter.com/Heh0LhIPt3

— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) October 15, 2024

Amari Cooper going from Deshaun Watson one week to Josh Allen the next. pic.twitter.com/QKmXqKvvY8

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) October 15, 2024

Amari Cooper’s fantasy value after going from Deshaun Watson to Josh Allen: pic.twitter.com/3ncH1jvF06

— Sleeper (@SleeperHQ) October 15, 2024

Amari Cooper seeing a Josh Allen fastball after catching Deshaun Watson passes for two years pic.twitter.com/8Bobpr2Cm0

— Mike (@85mf) October 15, 2024

Amari Cooper is still a good receiver. He was clearly just miserable between not getting a contract extension and the quarterback situation. Now he's the No. 1 target for the second-best QB in the league. Wouldn't be surprised if he balls out.

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) October 15, 2024

Giving up a third-round pick for a player on an expiring contract is a relatively high price to pay. Cooper is 11 games plus any playoff contests away from hitting free agency.

But he should raise the Bills' short-term ceiling and his expiring deal is beneficial from the standpoint Buffalo can make a clean break in the offseason if the trade proves to be a bust.

After weeks of rumors that Amari Cooper was a trade candidate, the veteran wide receiver will officially be wearing a new uniform for the remainder of the 2024 season.

The Buffalo Bills announced Tuesday that they acquired Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round draft pick from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and 2026 seventh-round pick.

Through six games this season, Cooper had led the Browns with 24 catches, 250 yards and two touchdowns.

The deal comes after ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on the Oct. 5 episode of SportsCenter that teams around the league could target Cooper as a fallback option if they failed to land star receiver Davante Adams, whom the Las Vegas Raiders traded to the New York Jets just hours before Cleveland and Buffalo completed their deal. In the end, the Bills did enough to convince the Browns to ship him away.

Cooper is in the final year of his contract and is making the veteran minimum of $1.21 million in 2024 after restructuring his deal in July to add four voidable years. He initially held out of mandatory minicamp with Cleveland while he sought a pay raise, and the team rewarded him with an additional $20 million in guarantees.

Another WR trade on a busy day.

Buffalo desperately need WR help and Cooper looked like a player who really needed a change of scenery.

With Cooper's base salary all the way down to $1.21M this season, Buffalo takes on just $807K to acquire him. https://t.co/cvPdnOefVu

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 15, 2024

Cooper is one of the league's most consistent receivers, having recorded at least 1,000 yards in four of the last five seasons. In 2023, he posted career highs of 1,250 yards and 17.4 yards per catch on 72 receptions with five touchdowns. He broke Cleveland's single-game franchise record with 265 yards in a Week 16 win over the Houston Texans. The 30-year-old earned his fifth career Pro Bowl selection.

By acquiring Cooper, the Bills are gaining a reliable source of production who should boost their chances of contending for another AFC East title this season.

While starting running back James Cook deals with a toe injury, the Buffalo Bills made a move to add depth to their backfield for Monday night's game against the New York Jets.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bills elevated Frank Gore Jr. from the practice squad for what will be his first career NFL game.

ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg noted that Buffalo listed Cook as questionable for Monday night's game, so Gore's elevation from the practice squad "doesn't seem to be a positive development for his injury status." The Bills later ruled him out for the game, marking the first time he will be sidelined in his three-year career.

#Bills RB James Cook (toe) will be inactive vs. the #Jets, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Cook, who was listed as questionable, was hopeful to play after practicing Saturday but will sit out.

Ray Davis and Ty Johnson will lead the way with Frank Gore Jr. dressed as well. pic.twitter.com/TCTiDUVEJ6

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 14, 2024

Cook leads the team with 309 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 70 carries.

Frank Gore Sr. was on hand to see his son's NFL debut:

Frank Gore here for his son Frank Gore Jr.’s debut for the #Bills. pic.twitter.com/IHYH2FbMJi

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 14, 2024

Frank Gore Sr. with some words of encouragement for Frank Jr. before his NFL debut.

📺: #BUFvsNYJ on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9KaiXK5saa

— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2024

Gore signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent after spending four years at Southern Miss and eclipsing 1,000 yards in his junior and senior seasons. The eldest son of NFL legend Frank Gore impressed during the preseason, ranking second in the NFL with 163 rushing yards on 33 attempts while adding a touchdown.

The Bills average 118.2 rushing yards per game this season, so the 22-year-old could see some action against the Jets. He will likely be playing behind veteran running back Ty Johnson and fellow rookie Ray Davis.

Buffalo is hoping to end a two-game skid following its impressive 3-0 start to the 2024 season. A loss to New York would knock the team out of first place in the AFC East.

The Bills have lost both of their last two road matchups against the Jets, so Monday night's matchup will undoubtedly be a tough battle between two teams looking to get back on track.

The physical tolls NFL football takes on a player's body are immense. Perhaps nobody is more attuned to the rigors of the game than Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest on the field during Week 17 of the 2022 season but has since resumed his playing career and now serves as a starting safety for the team.

"As tough as it is, as hard as the days are, as much as the grind as all of that s--t like, as hard as it is to be in this league and have success day in, day out—the grind, the pain, the hurt of my body every day—as hard as this s--t is, I'm still living my dream," he told ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg on Monday.

Hamlin, 26, returned to the field last season but largely served as a special teams contributor, appearing in five games. With the Bills undergoing major roster turnover this past offseason, however, he won the starting safety gig in training camp and has registered 31 tackles (two for loss), an interception and three passes defensed.

DAMAR HAMLIN PICKS OFF LAWRENCE.

📺: #JAXvsBUF on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/cSxknIWzDB

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024

"I mean, what else can't this young man do?" Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters before Week 1 of the 2024 season. "It's one thing to come back off of an ACL or a broken bone. It's another thing to come back off of what he came back off of, right? Let alone just to decide to play football and contact football, right? In full pads at the NFL level... I don't think I need to say anything more."

James Cook plans to be in action on Monday against the New York Jets.

The Buffalo Bills running back is listed as questionable for the matchup due to a toe injury, but Cook's representatives told Adam Schefter he plans to play, according to ESPN's Alana Getzenberg.

Cook did not participate in the team's first practices of the week and Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that Cook will be a limited participant in the final practice on Saturday. He injured the toe during Buffalo's Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans.

The 25-year-old has 70 carries for 309 yards and four touchdowns in 2024. He had 20 carries for 82 yards in the loss to the Texans.

He leads the team in scrimmage yards (432) and, along with Alvin Kamara and Aaron Jones, is one of three players who currently has more than 300 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards on the season.

The Bills started the season 3-0 but have since dropped two straight games. They still retain first place in the AFC East but a loss to the Jets would sink them to second place.

If Cook is limited on Monday, Buffalo will need to rely on Ty Johnson and Ray Davis to pick up some of the slack in the rushing attack.

It appeared as though Josh Allen may have suffered a concussion and perhaps been knocked unconscious during Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans after his head slammed against the ground. He was taken to the medical tent for evaluation and appeared to be administered smelling salts.

That made it surprising when he returned to the game, but on Friday, the NFL and NFLPA announced that the proper protocols took place:

Both the league and union reviewed the video of the play and came to the same conclusion as the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants, booth spotters and team medical staff: There was no loss of consciousness. https://t.co/ELtvP3BvPL

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 11, 2024

Despite the NFL and NFLPA's statement on Friday, the handling of the situation caused a great deal of concern in its aftermath.

"The more I watch this video, the more I'm troubled about what happened," neuroscientist Chris Nowinski, the co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, told CNN's Brianna Keilar and Boris Sanchez on Tuesday.

He continued:

As Allen was going down, you see he is raising his left arm to protect his head, which is a very natural movement when you're falling like that, and then after his head bounces so high off the ground, that arm goes limp and you see his wrist catch against the ground which can break your wrist. That's something that any athlete if they were aware would avoid, so I really do think he was unconscious there for a moment after that hit... Ethically, the idea that he was trying to be a hero and no one told him: 'Hey dude, you were knocked out, your teammates had to roll you over' really makes you wonder what happened here and this does need to be investigated.

A number of former players also were critical of how the situation was handled:

We all saw Josh Allen seemingly get knocked out, yet they just threw him a smelling salt and right back into the game. As if that was going to undo any head trauma he just suffered. 🤦🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/E4VqSghsLv pic.twitter.com/LNydTMPgm2

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) October 6, 2024

If they let Josh Allen back into the game after he clearly smashed his head on the turf then the entire concussion process is flawed. He looked like he was out https://t.co/dOVnvTL8xG

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) October 6, 2024

Allen said after the game he felt OK following the hit, however.

"Big shot to the chest. Rolled my ankle," Allen told reporters after the game regarding injuries he suffered a play prior to his head hitting the ground. "They flagged me for hitting my head, but felt good enough to go back in."

The Bills also said after the contest that Allen had properly cleared the concussion protocol. The NFL and NFLPA, after reviewing the situation, came to the same conclusion.

Robert Saleh's New York Jets firing this week was a reminder to coaches around the league that you can be out of a job at a moment's notice without much of a warning.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott knows that all too well, as he was left without a job in 2011 when he was fired as defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. But McDermott knows he can't spend much time thinking about his peer being let go as he has to focus on getting his team ready for Week 6.

"Unfortunate part of our business," McDermott said, per Bills Wire's Nick Wojton. "Really, for us, we've got to focus on our team."

The Jets fired Saleh after a 2-3 start to the 2024 season and a 20-36 record across his three-plus seasons as New York's head coach. Things looked up for the Jets when veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers joined the team ahead of the 2023 season, but an injury last year and struggles early on this season proved New York still has work to do.

While the Jets' issues extend beyond just their head coach, owner Woody Johnson believed parting ways with Saleh was the best option for now.

McDermott likely has nothing to worry about for now after a 3-2 start to the year, but Buffalo has lost back-to-back games and an extended losing streak could put him on the hot seat as well.

For now, he'll look to get back in the win column against the Saleh-less Jets on Monday.

The AFC East has already seen one head coach get fired, with Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills potentially moving onto the hot seat in the wake of Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans.

Per ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler, people around the league have been sending text messages asking about McDermott's job security as potential head-coaching candidates start looking ahead to positions that might come open.

Graziano did note that no one within the Bills organization has said anything about McDermott's long-term status, but there is outside speculation he "could be in trouble" if they continue to come up short in the playoffs.

The idea of McDermott even being talked about on the hot seat two weeks ago seemed foolish. The Bills were 3-0 after a dominant 47-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football. Josh Allen looked like he was on his way to an MVP season.

Fast forward to now, the Bills have had two ugly losses where the flaws of this roster have really stood out. The defense gave up 271 yards rushing in a 35-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4.

Sunday's loss to the Texans saw Allen finish 9-of-30 passing, giving him the worst completion percentage by any quarterback in a game with at least 30 attempts in the last 30 seasons.

Josh Allen recorded the lowest completion percentage (30.0%) in a game with at least 30 pass attempts in the last 30 seasons, per @ESPNStatsInfo

— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) October 6, 2024

But it wasn't Allen's lackluster performance that proved to be the biggest story of the day. After the Texans pinned Buffalo's offense at its own three-yard line in a tie game with 32 seconds remaining, McDermott decided to call three straight pass plays rather than try to run the ball to at least get Houston to use its three timeouts.

All three high-difficulty throws fell incomplete, forcing the Bills to punt from their own end zone. The Texans got possession at the Buffalo 46, completed a short pass for five yards to set up manageable field goal attempt. Ka'imi Fairbairn's attempt from 59 yards was good as time expired to give Houston the win.

THE KICK IS GOOD. TEXANS IMPROVE TO 4-1! #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/4282BlhX4J

— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024

There is no guarantee the Bills win the game if it gets to overtime, but the situational awareness and clock management on that final possession were baffling.

After their red-hot start to the season, the Bills find themselves in position where they could fall out of first place in the AFC East by the end of Week 6.

Buffalo will play the New York Jets, who fired head coach Robert Saleh on Tuesday, at MetLife Stadium on Monday Night Football.

McDermott comes from a defensive background, but the Bills defense is really being picked apart right now. They have allowed 852 total yards in the past two games after allowing 860 yards in the first three games combined.

The 50-year-old McDermott is in his eighth season as Bills head coach. He has a 76-43 record and six playoff appearances, but they have lost in the Divisional Round in each of the past three years after reaching the AFC Championship Game during the 2020 season.