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Former Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper will not play in Week 18. Cooper’s Buffalo Bills are taking on the New England Patriots to end the regular season, but the veteran WR will not travel with the team.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cooper has been excused from the team to tend to a “personal family matter.”
The good news is that this game is not important for the Bills. The team already clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC and also clinched the AFC East. The team enters Week 18 with a 13-3 record on the year.
Cooper came to the Bills in October after being traded by the Cleveland Browns. Since Cooper’s debut in Buffalo, the WR has caught 20 passes for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns. The former Alabama star has been an important veteran addition to the Bills’ offense. With the issue not being injury-related, the hope is that Cooper will be back and ready for the playoffs.
Before becoming one of the best route-runners in the NFL, Cooper starred for Alabama from 2012-14. The WR was a member of the 2012 team that won the national championship and also earned unanimous All-American honors in 2014. Cooper is 2nd only to DeVonta Smith in career receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs for the Crimson Tide all-time.
Cooper was selected in the 1st round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the then-Oakland Raiders. The WR spent 4 seasons with the Raiders before being sent to the Dallas Cowboys. After 4 seasons with the Cowboys, Cooper was sent to the Browns before again being traded this season.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
