Nomadic wide receiver Brandin Cooks didn’t join the Bills until late November last year, but he may have made a strong enough impression to stick with the team in 2026. While Cooks is still unsigned, general manager Brandon Beane said the two sides have had conversations. Beane added that an answer on Cooks’ future might not come until after the draft, per Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News.
A veteran of six teams over a dozen years in the NFL, Cooks has piled up 734 catches, six 1,000-yard seasons and 60 receiving touchdowns since the Saints chose him 20th overall in 2024. Those are excellent numbers, though the 32-year-old’s production has slowed down significantly in recent seasons. In 15 touchdown-less games between Buffalo and New Orleans last year, Cooks caught just 24 passes for 279 yards.
Having been part of four trades, Cooks is tied for the most in league history in that category. The Saints tried to add to the total before last November’s trade deadline, though they were unable to find a taker. They wound up waiving Cooks a couple of weeks later. The receiver-needy Bills quickly added Cooks after he cleared waivers.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Cooks only caught five of 11 targets in five regular-season games with Buffalo. However, with 22.8 yards per catch, the speedster gave the Bills’ offense a much-needed field-stretching element. He added another five receptions for 78 yards in two playoff games, including a crucial 36-yard grab late in a 23-20 wild-card round win over the Jaguars.
Unfortunately for Cooks and the Bills, his inability to haul in a deep ball from Josh Allen in the divisional round will be the lasting memory of his season. With Buffalo and Denver tied at 30 in overtime, Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian wrestled away what would have been a 43-yard grab for Cooks and turned it into an interception. Had Cooks secured it, the Bills would have gone on to attempt the winning field goal. Instead, the Broncos took possession, drove for a 33-30 victory and advanced to the conference title game.
The Bills fired longtime head coach Sean McDermott after losing to the Broncos, but they stayed in-house with the promotion of offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Along with his familiarity with Brady, Cooks has past experience with new offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. Cooks played under Carmichael in New Orleans during his first three seasons, in which he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark twice. While that type of production is a pipe dream at this stage of Cooks’ career, he could still fight for a complementary role with the Bills or another team.
Buffalo made a major investment at receiver when it traded a second-round pick to the Bears for D.J. Moore last month, but there is still room for at least one more addition. If Beane doesn’t bring in anyone via the draft, it could increase Cooks’ chances of re-signing with the Bills.
With all due respect, Pete is just a face in the scheme of things. Just like in New Orleans under Payton, he is an offensive assistant in a coordinator role, while Payton runs the offense. Same thing under Brady. They just come from the coaching tree under Payton . But hope Brady does awesome in Buffalo, I have been screaming for LSU to throw the bag at Brady but never happened . Geaux Tigers & Who Dat ⚜️