The New Orleans Saints made a bit of a surprising decision on Wednesday, parting ways with wide receiver Brandin Cooks in what's been described as a "mutual" parting of ways. The Saints, who originally drafted Cooks when he was coming out of college in 2014, brought the veteran wide receiver back to the Big Easy in the offseason hoping he could be a leader for this young offense.
Cooks' teammates have seemed to like him but the production just wasn't there. The former first-round pick compiled just 19 catches for 165 yards in 10 games, three of which were starts. There was some conversation about moving Cooks at the trade deadline but nothing materialized and he remained in New Orleans. Now, however, he'll be a free agent.
The Saints and Brandin Cooks have mutually agreed to part ways, according to a source. Cooks will be a free agent
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) November 19, 2025
This move gives Cooks a chance to go somewhere he can win games and be a bigger piece of an offense. Saints fans are hoping that he goes to a team they don't have to face again but the sad reality is that there's one team that makes too much sense for Cooks and it's one Saints fans would hate to see.
That team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who desperately need wide receiver help. The Buccaneers have already lost Mike Evans for a chunk of this season and Chris Godwin has been injured throughout the 2025 season as well. That's left Tampa with rookies Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson as Baker Mayfield's main weapons. While those guys have been fine, adding Cooks to that equation makes a whole lot of sense if you think about it.
Cutting Brandin Cooks could hand Saints rival a major break
This would be a good landing spot for Cooks because he'd be utilized in that offense and would have a good quarterback throwing the ball to him. It'd also give him a chance to go to a team that's probably going to win the division and make the playoffs. That's an opportunity he wasn't going to have had he stayed in New Orleans.
Cooks and the Saints have been on quite a rollercoaster ride together. The team drafted him in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and by Year 2, he was one of their most explosive weapons on the roster. After his third year in the league, however, the Saints shockingly made the decision to trade him to the Patriots and from there, he became accustomed to swapping teams.
Cooks played for the Patriots for one year, then played for the Rams for two years, the Texans for three years, and the Cowboys for two years before ending up back in the Big Easy where his pro career began. Saints fans would rather Cooks not end up with the Buccaneers but it really does make way too much sense not to happen.