Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Proposed Bills signing adds former $80 million wide receiver for Josh Allen

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Mar 13, 2025 12:24 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills entered the offseason with a need at the wide receiver position, and thus far the team has made one move to address that issue.

Buffalo agreed to terms with veteran wide receiver Joshua Palmer on a three-year, $36 million deal recently to give quarterback Josh Allen another versatile weapon to throw to.

That said, the Bills stand to lose two of their 2024 receivers in free agency, as Mack Hollins has already departed for the New England Patriots and Amari Cooper remains a free agent and isn't guaranteed to return in 2025.

If the Bills want to add more help, For The Win's Christian D'Andrea thinks general manager Brandon Beane could make a play for Cooper Kupp, who was released by the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday after the team failed to find a trade partner.

"Buffalo already lost Mack Hollins to the Patriots. Amari Cooper remains unsigned," D'Andrea wrote. "There's a need for a reliable, do-the-work veteran in the Bills' lineup — and an opportunity for Kupp to chase a ring while playing with one of the league's top quarterback.

"There's a problem here; both Cooper and Hollins were downfield targets whose spacing helped Khalil Shakir thrive (7.9 yards after catch per reception)," D'Andrea added. "The Bills signed Joshua Palmer to fill that role, but more help is needed. Kupp may no longer have the long-range quickness to lift this offense. While his hands, blocking and leadership would be useful, his fit would likely require the Bills to make a further buy-in at wideout --all with limited cap space to do so."

While there is certainly reason to believe that Kupp could have some interest in the Bills given his desire to win a Super Bowl, we wouldn't bet on this pairing happening.

For starters, the Bills are still strapped for cap space and just invested a healthy sum of money in Palmer. On top of that, Kupp does his best work in the slot, where the Bills already have Khalil Shakir, who just signed a contract extension in Buffalo.

Spending what figures to be at least a fairly significant sum of money on a soon-to-be 32 year-old wide receiver who isn't a great fit and has injury concerns seems unlikely, at best.

While we could definitely see the Bills adding more help at wide receiver in the days and weeks ahead, the expectation is they'll go for a cheaper option and someone who is a better fit than Kupp is.