One day after becoming a free agent, Brandin Cooks has quickly found a new home. The Bills announced that they’ve signed the veteran wide receiver to their active roster.
The Saints and Cooks mutually agreed to part ways last Wednesday, but there was a slight holdup over “contractual technicalities.” After the Saints amended Cooks’ contract, he passed through waivers unclaimed and became free to sign anywhere on Monday.
A first-round pick of the Saints in 2014, Cooks is now heading to his sixth NFL destination. The 32-year-old has been part of a record-tying four trades during his career, but the Saints didn’t find a taker for him before the Nov. 4 deadline. Cooks has endured a down year with just 19 catches and 165 yards (8.7 YPC) over 10 scoreless games, which explains why teams weren’t eager to trade draft compensation for him.
While Cooks didn’t produce much in New Orleans with quarterbacks Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler this season, he may have a better chance in Buffalo with reigning MVP Josh Allen at the helm. Cooks is easily the most accomplished receiver on the Bills’ roster, having amassed 729 catches, 9,697 receiving yards, and 60 touchdowns in 168 regular-season games.
The receiver position has been a sore spot throughout the year for the Bills, who tried to address the issue at the deadline. They reportedly made a significant offer to the AFC East rival Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle, but they failed to reel in him or anyone else. With receiver remaining a problem area, the Bills have dropped two of three since the deadline to fall to 7-4. They’re unlikely to chase down the 10-2 Patriots for a sixth straight division title, and a wild-card berth doesn’t look like a guarantee in a conference loaded with playoff contenders.
The Bills’ need at receiver became even more glaring over the past couple of weeks with head coach Sean McDermott making second-year man Keon Coleman a healthy inactive twice in a row. Coleman sat out a 44-32 win over the Buccaneers in Week 11 after he was consistently late to meetings. He also didn’t play in the Bills’ 23-19 loss to the Texans last Thursday. It’s unclear if he’ll return to the lineup this Sunday in a crucial meeting with the Steelers. Regardless, it’s fair to say Coleman has not panned out as hoped since going 33rd overall in the 2024 draft.
Coleman has joined the majority of the Bills’ receiving corps in underwhelming this season. Slot target Khalil Shakir has put together another productive campaign, but Josh Palmer, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Tyrell Shavers have all caught fewer than 20 passes apiece.
While Gabe Davis played in the Bills’ past two games and picked up four receptions for 62 yards, he’s not on their active roster. The Bills can only elevate him from their practice squad one more time before they have to sign him. Mecole Hardman, also on the practice squad, played in one game before going on IR with a calf injury last week.
It’s unknown how many other teams joined Buffalo in vying for Cooks, but Denver was not among them. The AFC West leaders had a connection to Cooks in head coach Sean Payton, who was in charge in New Orleans when the wideout entered the league. Despite that, the Broncos weren’t in the mix for Cooks, according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
will there be an article about the collusion/manipulation the Saints used to get Cooks through the waiver wire? would be curious to understand that better. Its looking like the NFL will allow the Saints to get away with it since it was in the better interest of the player, but I imagine the claiming teams who were restricted from claim are not too thrilled, and clearly they have solid ground to stand on. Will it go unpunished?
He cleared waivers. Every team had an opportunity to pick up his remaining contract.
He became a free agent and the Bills signed him.
“the claiming teams who were restricted from claim”
What are you referring to here? He went unclaimed.
He is referring to the fever dream he had after eating too much Taco Bell.
Nah. He just didn’t read it closely enough. Just a mistake. No biggie.
He’s referring to the Saints reworking his contract, just prior to the waiver, to include a poison pill for claiming teams, while allowing the Saints out of 2026 guarantees if he hit free agency. The cba prohibits these kind of changes, so several reporters/football writers have unanswered messages out to the NFL about it.
“Restricted” may not be the best choice of words, but the Saints did balloon what claiming teams would have to pay. So no one claimed him.
Its neither here nor there from the Bills perspective. This stuff is up here on profootballrumors.com.
The spotrac podcast talked about little about it.
Nothing illegal or untoward. It takes agreement from both parties.
Tell us about when you saw Bigfoot
I swear Buffalo is a lost puppy shelter for backend Wide Recievers. Chase Claypool, Mecole Hardman, Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, etc
That’s because our GM has a butt backwards idea of the type of receivier the Bills need to draft, then gets proven wrong year after year. Everyone eats is a waste of Josh Allen’s talent.
Everyone eats is great… when everyone acts like they’re hungy…
They have to get hungrier in the playoffs and step up their game but everyone just wants to watch Allen. Can the defense rise to the occasion?
No. Its hurt, old and the scheme was cracked two years ago. The defense needs to be rebuilt. Buffalo Nickle swapped out. More of an offseason dilemma. Teams goes as far as the offense can take it. Hope for teams with lighter RB’s in the playoffs. Johnathan Taylor would be a nightmare.
Might be. But let’s be real. Beane’s hands are tied. The HC (who’s the de facto decision maker) uses majority of assets on his Defense that gives up 25 plus per game.
Beane’s hands are tied? Coleman was his pick…
Yeah it’s a choice. Maybe they make a move for Deebo or Pickens. Or Aiyuk
Remember when Brandon Beane berated a radio host on air about WRs?
Then immediately signed every reclamation project?
Tried to trade for one at the deadline (last year too)
Wonder if he ever admitted was wrong.
Its a good thing we dont draft WRs when we can pick from the reject pile! (Sarcasm)
Spencer Brown IR?
Did they still have a spot after the Harmdan to IR move? Don’t recall anyone being signed to the 53 after that, only PS gameday elevations..
Lets hope Cooks works out better than Cooper.
He won’t. You have to go all the way back to 2021 to find a year that he had more than 700 yards receiving. Cooks was bad in 22 with the Texans, bad in 23 & 24 with the Cowboys, and bad for the Saints this year.
Josh Allen couldn’t resuscitate Amari Cooper and he won’t be able to do anything with Brandin Cooks as well.
700 yards with a 65% catch ratio would be just fine (prorated over the rest of the season and the playoffs of course). Brandin Cooks doesn’t have to be a superstar for the Bills, he just has to be a viable deep threat and intermediate sure hands.
Just needs to be exactly Cooper. Coop’s stats sucked, but he did draw enough attention from defenses to free up other guys. Currently the team has no one really doing that.
That’s a low bar …
though I don’t know if any defense is going to be occupied with “stopping” Cooks.
They didn’t part with a good draft pick to get Cooks, so that’s already better than Cooper.
Why not?
I think Brandin is just using the NFL as a warm up for his flag football career 🙂
The Bills keep pretending like they don’t need a real #1 receiver and are wasting their time with Josh Allen because of that.
They had Diggs and his “issues” found him off the team, but they have little to no depth or real talent. If Shakir is their number 1 receiver that isn’t a great position to be in considering he likely finishes with just under or just over 1000 yards and 5 or so TDs.
The Bills don’t absolutely need a WR1 (Justin Jefferson, Spitter Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua) but they do need 3 x WR2 if they don’t get a real WR1.
This will be the only player named “Cooks” on the roster.
BECAUSE
Too many Cooks spoil the broth.