Two former Alabama All-Americans struggle to garner NFL interest as free agency enters its second wave
Former Alabama Crimson Tide stars haven't quite seen the NFL free agency interest they might've expected. After being dominant All-Americans in college, Amari Cooper and Cam Robinston were drafted highly and then parlayed their opportunities into more than $175 million in contract dollars. However, neither Cooper nor Robinson have been signed as free agency hits […]
Former Alabama Crimson Tide stars haven't quite seen the NFL free agency interest they might've expected. After being dominant All-Americans in college, Amari Cooper and Cam Robinston were drafted highly and then parlayed their opportunities into more than $175 million in contract dollars. However, neither Cooper nor Robinson have been signed as free agency hits its second wave.
Plus, Jedrick Wills' NFL future is especially bleak as concerns arise from his work ethic and on-field play.
Both Cooper and Robinson are entering tumultous parts of their careers. Cooper turns 31 this offseason after producing what was easily his worst year as a professional. The Buffalo Bills traded a third-round pick to acquire him from the Cleveland Browns, but then was barely a factor in eight regular season and three playoff games.
Cooper finished 2024 with 44 catches for 547 yards and four touchdowns. His play in Cleveland was especially concerning because his drop rate spiked upwards and he lost the edge that earned him a Pro Bowl nod in 2023. It's startling how much worse Cooper played immediately after turning 30.
Robinson has never found the peak Cooper has. While Cooper has five Pro Bowls in his backpocket, Robinson has zero. Still, the massive left tackle doesn't turn 30 until October and plays one of the game's most valuable positions.
Offensive linemen have been paid especially well this offseason, but Robinson remains untouched. In fact, Cooper ranks No. 1 and Robinson is No. 4 on PFF's top remaining free agents list.
The Bills seem happy to have moved on from Cooper as they instead pivoted to sign Joshua Palmer. It seems Cooper is hunting for a potential WR3 role, which means a sharp decline in pay and volume of targets. However, that's what happens as stars age.
Robinson may also be looking at a change as his career is not heading in the right direction. There should be real discussions about whether a move to right tackle is in the cards for him.
He tied a career-high in sacks allowed (eight) and produced the worst pass-block efficiency (94.4) of his career in 2024. His 64 pressured allowed was the most in the NFL amongst all tackles by a whopping 10 margin.
The Vikings would only have him back in case of injury since Christian Darrisaw will be healthy this fall.
There might be a few teams still able to offer Robinson a starting job at right tackle (Washington or New England, possibly), but there aren't many. In all likelihood, we're looking at two big names who are transitioning to a rougher, less predictable part of their NFL lives.
