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Amari Cooper delivered such a selfless message despite his limited role with the Bills

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 17: Amari Cooper #18 of the Buffalo Bills looks on during warmups before playing the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776151487 ORIG FILE ID: 2185278824
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 17: Amari Cooper #18 of the Buffalo Bills looks on during warmups before playing the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776151487 ORIG FILE ID: 2185278824

Let's make one thing clear about how professional athletes usually think.

Winning cures all. Full stop. End of story. It's undebatable.

How else do you explain Amari Cooper's current mindset as a member of the Buffalo Bills, who are one win away from Super Bowl 59? The Cleveland Browns mercifully traded Cooper to Buffalo in mid-October. But ever since, he hasn't really contributed much to the Bills' winning ways.

Seriously, for a supposed No. 1-caliber receiver, Cooper has just 20 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns in eight appearances. In the 2025 playoffs alone, he has four total targets. Woof.

Yet, none of that seems to matter for the veteran Cooper. After being stuck on the listless Browns in the middle of his prime, he simply seems grateful he gets to be part of a winning operation in Buffalo. Period. That says it all about what kind of teammate and leader he is and what kind of example he wants to set.

Take a look at Cooper's comments from Thursday about prioritizing team over individual success.

Man, this was so awesome to hear. I love that Cooper doesn't seem bothered at all by his lack of production. Even more so, I'm so happy for a guy like him finally getting to experience the joys of successful playoff football. These are the sorts of athletes you truly love rooting for.

And if I know the NFL (I like to think I do), something tells me Cooper's name won't be as discrete as it has been through the rest of this Bills' postseason run. I've seen defenses stop game-planning for playmakers who aren't producing so often, only for those guys to inevitably explode. It's like clockwork.

If Cooper's opportunity arrives to actually contribute, you know his head will be in the right place.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Amari Cooper delivered such a selfless message despite his limited role with the Bills