The 2014 NFL Draft has given us plenty of elite receiving talent. If you’re not familiar with the draft class, let me give you a quick reminder of the names that have the graced the stadiums around the league – Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans and Jarvis Landry. This list is missing one underappreciated name though – Brandin Cooks.
Cooks was one of the best receiving prospects coming out of the 2014 draft class. During his final season at Oregon State he won the Biletnikoff Award and receiving First-Team All-Pac-12 and Consensus All-American accolades. The New Orleans Saints traded up to No. 20 overall to select him, giving Drew Brees the speedster he desperately needed. He went on to spend three seasons with the team. After a shaky rookie year, he quickly got back on track and recorded a couple of 1,000+ yard seasons.
In his eight seasons in the league so far, Cooks has played for five different teams. That is all the more surprising when you consider he’s surpassed the 1,000 receiving yards mark six times. It should raise a few eyebrows too that he’s always been traded for a first or second round pick.
Let’s take a look at the background of those trades and what the teams and our story’s hero have or have not done in those situations.
After his third season in Big Easy, the Saints traded Cooks to New England for a first and third round pick in the 2017 Draft. He’d been the focal point of the Drew Brees-led offense and led the team with 1,173 receiving yards. The move didn’t leave the Saints out of pocket though. They had already found his successor in rookie stud Michael Thomas, who was not far behind Cooks when it came to pure production. More importantly, the two picks gained in the trade turned out to be Ryan Ramczyk, a top 3 right tackle in the league, and Trey Hendrickson, one of the most talented edge rushers (now with the Cincinnati Bengals).
The move made sense for New England too. They hadn’t had much luck drafting receiving talent and bringing in a guy like Cooks was vital for their offense. He became their WR1 and helped the Pats to another AFC East title and a trip to the big dance, where they lost to Nick Foles and Philadelphia Eagles. Cooks’ production (65/1082/7) was practically identical to another Patriots star player, TE Rob Gronkowski. Gronk was a First-Team All-Pro selection that year with a 69/1084/8 statline. After the 2017 season, Cooks was expecting a big payday. New England weren’t keen, with Bill Belichick wanting to avoid another big contract on the roster. The 24 year old Cooks was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Rams for a first and sixth round pick.
With his third team in three seasons, Cooks continued where he left off. He combined with Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp to build one of the league’s scariest offenses. His first season in L.A. was also his most productive, setting a career-high in receiving yards (1,204). The Rams went on to make the Super Bowl, losing to Cooks’ former team in New England. The following season saw his production drop off as he dealt with concussions. Medical issues left a big mark on his game and he finished the season fourth on the team in receiving yards. This led to the Rams shipping him to another destination. Houston sent a second round pick in the 2020 Draft for Cooks, with the teams also exchanging fourth round picks. The Rams used that second round pick to draft another weapon in Florida wide receiver Van Jefferson.
Cooks immediately established a great chemistry with Houston’s star QB, Deshaun Watson. Despite the team’s regular season struggles, he managed to put up impressive numbers and return to his pre-concussion form. One would have imagined that with Watson out for the 2021 season, Cooks’ stock would plummet. In reality he proved his doubters wrong. With Tyrod Taylor (6 starts) and rookie Davis Mills (11 starts) as his quarterback, Cooks went for 90/1037/6. The funny part of the story? He was once again talked about as a potential trade target this offseason.
After much speculation about potential destinations and trade prices, Cooks shocked everyone in announcing a new deal with the Texans. The two parties agreed to a two-year, $39.6m extension, with $36m of that guaranteed. This will keep Cooks in Houston until 2024, by which point he will be 31 years old. The whole scenario epitomises the curious career Cooks has had. He has been one of the NFL’s most productive receivers over the past decade, only to bounce around the league and end up settled down with one of the game’s worst teams.
He had has a very unusual career.