NFL reporter explains why the Chiefs were never in on Amari Cooper

The Kansas City Chiefs still have time to make a trade for a wide receiver but that doesn't mean the fan base isn't irritated that one of the team's biggest rivals landed one of the best receivers earlier this week. The Buffalo Bills traded for Amari Cooper, giving up a third-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-round pick in 2026 to land the former fourth-overall pick.

Chiefs fans are all too familiar with Cooper considering he was drafted by the Raiders in 2015 and spent three and a half years there before getting traded to Dallas. Cooper tallied over 1,000 yards receiving during his first two years in the league and continued to dominate in Dallas and again in Cleveland.

Now he's off to his fourth NFL team and will give Josh Allen a massive weapon. The Bills are clearly hoping that this move will finally get them past the Chiefs in the playoffs and will be enough to lift them to a Super Bowl title.

Still, Chiefs fans might have been a bit salty about not targeting Cooper, especially for the price he went for. According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, however, the Chiefs were never in on Cooper in the first place. While appearing on KCSN (Kansas City Sports Network), Taylor said "The Chiefs were not involved with Amari Cooper. He is 30, they just weren't doing that."

Amari Cooper's age might have scared Chiefs off from making a trade

Cooper has been in the league since 2015 and turned 30 years old this past offseason. According to Taylor, that is why the Chiefs weren't interested in dipping their toes in the Amari Cooper trade pool. While Cooper would have likely helped the Chiefs offense out as they look to three-peat, Brett Veach might not have wanted to commit to a 30-year-old receiver when he could try to find a younger option on the trade market instead.

If the age was a deciding factor (or one of the deciding factors), this would rule out guys like DeAndre Hopkins and Cooper Kupp, who are 32 and 31 years old respectively. Darius Slayton, another popular Chiefs target, is 27, so he'd likely pass the age test for Veach.

The Chiefs might also decide not to make a trade and to keep the guys they already have. They won a Super Bowl last year despite not having strong weapons but Rashee Rice was at least healthy then.

If Cooper being 30 is what ultimately scared Veach off, then hopefully he's looking to add a younger weapon who can come in and help Patrick Mahomes and this offense score points.