HEADLINES

Brandin Cooks

Contract Details: Gilmore, Cooks, Nelson, Smith, Bynes, Watkins

April 20th, 2022 at 8:54pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on deals recently signed around the NFL:

  • Stephon Gilmore, CB (Colts): Two-year, $20MM. The deal includes $10.51MM guaranteed at signing and $14MM in overall guarantees. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Gilmore’s Year 1 payout will total $10.02MM.
  • Brandin Cooks, WR (Texans): Two-year, $39.76MM. The deal includes $36MM guaranteed at signing consisting of the $16MM signing bonus (applied over three years) and the first two years of base salary ($2MM in 2022 and $18MM in 2023), according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Cooks will have a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000 and will receive a roster bonus in 2024 of $3MM.
  • Steven Nelson, CB (Texans): Two-year, $9MM. The deal is worth up to $10MM, according to Wilson. It includes $4.5MM guaranteed at signing consisting of a $2MM signing bonus, the 2022 base salary of $1.75MM, and $750,000 of the 2023 base salary. Nelson will have a 2022 per game active bonus of $44,117 for a potential season total of $750,000 and a 2023 per game active bonus of $58,832 for a potential season total of $1MM. The deal includes an unspecified incentive worth $250,000 for the 2022 season.
  • Geno Smith, QB (Seahawks): One-year, $3.5MM. The deal is worth up to $7MM, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, with up to $3.5MM worth of incentives likely triggerable if he wins the starting job. The deal includes a guaranteed amount of $500,000.
  • Josh Bynes, LB (Ravens): One-year, $1.27MM. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, the deal includes $600,000 of guaranteed money consisting of the signing bonus worth $152,500 and $447,500 of the base salary (worth $1.12MM total).
  • Sammy Watkins, WR (Packers): One-year, $1.85MM. The deal includes a signing bonus of $350,000 and is worth up to $4MM, according to USA Today’s Ryan Wood, with incentives for playtime, catches, yards, and touchdowns. Watkins can earn an extra $150,000, $350,000, or $525,000 if he plays a snap count percentage of 55%, 60%, or 65%, respectively. He can earn an extra $150,000, $350,000, or $525,000 if he records a receptions total of 50, 60, or 70 catches, respectively. He can earn an extra $150,000, $350,000, or $525,000 if he has yardage totals of 550, 650, or 700, respectively. Lastly, Watkins can earn an extra $150,000, $350,000, or $575,000 if he catches 7, 8, or 9 touchdowns, respectively.

Texans Extend WR Brandin Cooks

April 7th, 2022 at 6:06pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Brandin Cooks will be sticking in Houston. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the receiver has inked a two-year extension with the Texans.

[RELATED: Texans Seeking Second-Round Pick For Brandin Cooks]

A report from earlier this week suggested that the wideout was on the trade block. However, Schefter notes that Cooks “is off the trade market,” while NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Cooks is “not going anywhere.”

With the Texans in the midst of a rebuild, it only made sense that the wideout was included in trade rumors. However, Rapoport tweets that the Texans declined to deal the receiver at last year’s deadline, and the front office made it clear that they wanted the veteran to stick around Houston for the foreseeable future.

Of course, an extension doesn’t necessarily preclude a trade. We heard yesterday that the Browns considered a trade for Cooks but were wary of the player’s pending free agency in 2023. The Texans were reportedly seeking a second-round pick for the receiver, and you could make an argument that the extension now makes Cooks more valuable in a potential trade (pending terms). However, based on the sentiment from reporters, it sounds like Cooks will indeed be staying put.

Cooks was set to earn $12.5MM in base salary this season, the final year of a five-year, $81MM ($50.5MM) extension he signed with the Rams back in 2018. He was traded to the Texans two years later, and Cooks has topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his two seasons in Houston. Cooks is still only 28, and while that might not necessarily mesh with the rest of the roster (including 23-year-old QB Davis Mills), the receiver should provide the offense with some veteran savviness as they navigate through their rebuild.

Browns Eyeing WR Brandin Cooks

April 6th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns have considered pairing their new quarterback with his former wideout. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns have “contemplated” trading for Texans receiver Brandin Cooks.

[RELATED: Texans Seeking Second-Round Pick For Brandin Cooks]

Per Cabot, the Browns are “one of the multiple teams” to express interest in the veteran wide receiver. However, a trade between Cleveland and Houston is considered unlikely.

We previously heard that Cooks was on the trading block, and the Texans are reportedly seeking a second-round pick in return. The Browns already gave up a boatload of draft picks to acquire Deshaun Watson from the Texans, and if Cleveland’s front office is focused on keeping their few remaining picks, then Houston’s ask might price the Browns out of the Cooks sweepstakes. Further, Cook’s impending free agency next offseason means he could realistically be a one-year rental.

Of course, the asking price and the flight risk could still be worth it for a squad that’s looking to make a run in the postseason. Cooks is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Texans; he has now posted four-digit receiving slates for four teams. The Browns have already acquired Amari Cooper this offseason, but their other receivers (including Donovan Peoples-Jones, Jakeem Grant, Anthony Schwartz, and Ja’Marcus Bradley) are unproven.

Texans Seeking Second-Round Pick For Brandin Cooks, Discussing Extension

April 4th, 2022 at 6:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brandin Cooks‘ contract expires at season’s end, and the oft-traded wide receiver looks to be back on familiar terrain. The Texans wide receiver is generating trade interest again, but the team is not prepared to part with its top pass catcher just to shed salary.

The Texans are receiving calls on Cooks, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Bleacher Report), noting the rebuilding team has taken multiple inquiries on the eight-year veteran. Houston acquired Cooks in 2020, and despite the team being early in a rebuild, the AFC South squad has hung onto the former Saints, Patriots and Rams weapon.

Houston, however, has discussed an extension with Cooks, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets, and is not viewed as likely to move him at this time. While Cooks appears ill-fitting on this Texans team, the franchise is developing a young quarterback in Davis Mills and lacks other proven wideouts. If the Texans do become serious about a Cooks trade, Wilson notes the team wants at least a second-round pick.

The former first-round wideout was traded in 2017, 2018 and 2020. He fetched first-round picks from the Patriots and Rams, and the Texans acquired the nomadic receiver for a second-rounder. After the ’20 season, Cooks even came out against a possible fourth trade. With the Texans having gone through back-to-back four-win seasons, the 28-year-old pass catcher may be more amenable to another move. Cooks, who was in New England during GM Nick Caserio and executive VP Jack Easterby‘s time with the AFC East franchise, is due to make $12.5MM in base salary this season.

Cooks is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Texans; he has now posted four-digit receiving slates for four teams. The speedster bounced back from a scary 2019, when he suffered multiple concussions. A concussion also forced Cooks out of Super Bowl LII. Although his history of head injuries is certainly a cause for concern, the Oregon State alum has produced everywhere he’s been. His history of production on contending teams will likely continue to generate trade rumors.

This Date In Transactions History: Patriots Trade Brandin Cooks To Rams

April 3rd, 2022 at 6:19pm CST by Zachary Links

When Brandin Cooks was traded to the Patriots in 2017, there was hope that the wideout would stick around New England as one of Tom Brady‘s top targets. About 13 months later, Cooks tenure with the team had come to an end. On this date in 2018, the Patriots traded the wide receiver to the Rams. 

Cooks was plenty productive during his lone season in New England, with the wideout leading the air attack (alongside Rob Gronkowski) following Julian Edelman‘s season-ending injury. The receiver finished the regular season having hauled in 65 receptions for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns, and hee continued producing in the postseason, catching another 19 receptions for 292 yards.

That performance apparently wasn’t enough, as the Patriots sent him out on April 3, 2018. Perhaps the team was wary of Cooks’ impending free agency following the 2018 campaign, or perhaps they thought Brady and Bill Belichick‘s clout would land them a comparable (and/or cheaper) receiver via free agency. Either way, New England ultimately sent Cooks and a fourth-rounder to the Rams in exchange for a first-rounder (a pick that eventually turned into lineman Isaiah Wynn) and a sixth-rounder. The Rams subsequently signed the receiver to a pricey five-year, $81MM extension (including $50.5MM guaranteed).

Even though Cooks didn’t last all that long is Los Angeles, it’s hard to be too critical of the Rams. Cooks had a 1,200-yard season during his first year with the Rams, but he fell off in 2019, compiling only 635 yards from scrimmage in 14 games. Following the season, the Rams paired Cooks with a fourth-rounder and sent him to the Texans for a second-rounder (which ultimately turned into receiver Van Jefferson).

Similarly, it’s hard to be too critical of the Patriots; after all, Wynn was a fine consolation. However, the Patriots’ motivation for the trade has never really been explained. While the financial reasons were obvious, it was assumed that the organization would subsequently replace Cooks spot in the lineup. The team was also especially shallow at wideout after Danny Amendola signed with the Dolphins.

While New England would be connected to a number of receivers throughout that 2018 campaign, the team never did anything to significantly improve their receiver corps. That 2018 squad finished without a 1,000-yard receiver, with running back James White leading the squad in receptions. Per usual, that didn’t end up mattering all that much; the Patriots still won the Super Bowl that season after beating (you guessed it) the Rams. While the Patriots selected receiver N’Keal Harry in the first round of the 2019 draft, they never really added another veteran receiver like Brady desired, an issue that was exacerbated after Gronkowski’s sudden retirement. That 2019 campaign would ultimately be Brady’s final season in New England.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/29/21

December 29th, 2021 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Several key players returned to practice Wednesday. Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Rico Bussey

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/22/21

December 22nd, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances (including Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne), players activated from the list remain on IR:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on list: T Le’Raven Clark

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Texans Place Brandin Cooks On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 22nd, 2021 at 2:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

On the cusp of his sixth 1,000-yard receiving season, Brandin Cooks may not be able to push for that again until next week. He landed on the Texans’ reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

The Texans also placed kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn and linebacker Eric Wilson on their coronavirus list. This trio joins several others at present. Although the NFL relaxed protocols to allow for quicker returns for vaccinated players, this will still be a hurdle for Cooks and Co.

The thrice-traded wide receiver eclipsed 100 yards and scored two touchdowns in Houston’s win over Jacksonville last week. Cooks is now up to 947 yards this season. The eighth-year veteran would have two more chances to surpass 1,000 yards, in the event he is cleared before Week 17.

Cooks and Fairbairn are believed to be vaccinated, but David Culley said last week Wilson was not. The veteran defender will miss the team’s Week 16 game against the Chargers. Missing Sunday’s game would be another setback for Fairbairn, who began the season in Week 4 after an IR placement in September.

Texans Cancel Wednesday Practice

December 1st, 2021 at 3:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Houston was the site of a bizarre headline today. The Texans canceled their Wednesday practice and sent the team home due to a handful of players having non-COVID illnesses, reports Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle. 

[RELATED: Texans Designate Britt For Return]

“Our medical team felt like it would be best for us to, for precautionary reasons, just to keep them home,” head coach David Culley said. “We’ll be back to business as usual tomorrow.”

According to an estimated practice report, wide receivers Chris Conley and Brandin Cooks, along with running back David Johnson and offensive tackle Cole Toner are listed as out due to sickness. The Texans, on a short week, did not conduct a full scrimmage today.

Without any players testing positive for COVID-19 as of this writing, the Texans are still on track to play on Sunday, when the host the Colts.

Texans Unlikely To Trade WR Brandin Cooks

October 31st, 2021 at 12:54pm CST by Rory Parks

Houston wide receiver Brandin Cooks is no stranger to trade rumors, having been dealt three times in his career. The 1-6 Texans are obvious trade deadline sellers, and Cooks — a high-end talent who is only under club control through the 2022 season — has naturally drawn interest from other clubs.

Those clubs may have been buoyed in their pursuit by the fact that Cooks took to Twitter to voice his displeasure when Houston traded good friend Mark Ingram earlier this week. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says the Texans are unlikely to trade Cooks. Rookie GM Nick Caserio reportedly sees Cooks as a foundational talent that he can build around, and it sounds as if he would demand a hefty return if he were to trade his WR1.

Cooks’ $12.5MM base salary for 2022 is reasonable for a player of his caliber, which explains both why Caserio wants to keep him around and why he is piquing the interest of contending teams hoping to acquire him. Despite catching passes from struggling rookie Davis Mills for most of the year, Cooks has tallied 45 receptions for 502 yards and a score.

Of course, most of the trade chatter surrounding the Texans has been focused upon QB Deshaun Watson, but we learned earlier today that Watson is not expected to be dealt prior to Tuesday’s deadline. However, LB Zach Cunningham is on the trading block, and other veterans like QB Tyrod Taylor, RB Phillip Lindsay, LB Christian Kirksey, and CB Desmond King could also be on the move.

Speaking of King, the former First-Team All-Pro was scratched from today’s game against the Rams for disciplinary reasons, as Aaron Wilson of SportsTalk 790 tweets. King reportedly had an unexcused absence from a team activity, and like Cooks, he may be unhappy with the current state of the Texans. Unlike Cooks, he might get a chance to suit up for a contender this year.

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