Ex-New Orleans Saints star receiver Brandin Cooks dealt from Rams to Texans
The New Orleans Saints have had a plethora of top-tier talent over the last half a decade, and the recently-traded Brandin Cooks was one of them.
The New Orleans Saints’ 2014 first-round pick, Brandin Cooks exploded onto the scene during his second year in the NFL, posting 1,138 yards on 84 receptions. Cooks helped one of the league’s most dynamic offenses prior to being traded on March 11, 2017.
The Saints dealt to the New England Patriots along with a second-round pick for two 2017 picks, one being a first and the other being a third. He spent just one season with the Patriots before signing a mega five-year, $81 million contract with the Rams.
Just two weeks before the draft, Cooks has been unloaded to the Houston Texans, a team that just lost DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans dealt Hopkins and then brought in Cooks, a few transactions that were both widely viewed as losses for the Deshaun Watson-led team.
Here are the trade details from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Texans are sending a 2nd round pick to the #Rams in exchange for WR Brandin Cooks and a future fourth-round pick, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 9, 2020
A 5-foot-10 receiver, Cooks has had several concussions throughout his career and is coming off a down season with the Rams. An offense that regressed mightly from the prior season, Cooks put up just 583 yards in 14 games.
He’ll have big shoes to fill in Houston, a team that dealt a receiver that has made the NFL’s All-Pro team for three straight seasons. Given how everything has transpired, it’s virtually impossible to believe Cooks will rise to Hopkins-level numbers even with a superstar quarterback.
Along with Cooks looking at $8 million this season and over eight figures the next three, Houston’s offseason has been quite the storyline to this point. They still have time to make it up though as the draft is in just a few weeks.
That said, the Saints, although the Rams were in the NFC, won’t be playing either team this season.
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However, the Rams losing one of their star receivers could give a boost to the Saints if both are in Wild Card contention late in the season. Expect New Orleans to have the NFC South locked up before worrying about that though.