New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks is once again viewed as a player who could be traded ahead of the upcoming deadline, and he would stand alone in NFL history if that were to happen.
A Cooks trade before the Nov. 4 dead is “very possible,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Sunday. There has also been talk of the Saints possibly trading star wideout Chris Olave, but Rapoport says that is unlikely.
Cooks is in his second stint with the Saints. The 32-year-old began his career in New Orleans when he was drafted in the first round out of Oregon State in 2014. He has since been traded four times, which is tied with linebacker Kiko Alonso and Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson for the most times a player has been traded in a single NFL career.
The Saints traded Cooks to the New England Patriots in 2017. Cooks was then dealt to the Los Angeles Rams the following season and from the Rams to the Houston Texans in 2020. The Texans traded Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys in 2023, and Cooks landed back in New Orleans on a two-year, $13 million free-agent contract this past offseason.
The Saints are 1-6, which is why there has been speculation that they will be sellers at the deadline. One of their best players does not want to be moved despite the disappointing season.
Cooks has 14 catches for 127 yards in seven games this season, which is his 12th in the NFL. New Orleans probably would not get more than a late-round draft pick in return for him, but there should be interest given how reliable he has been over the years.
