Stop me if you've heard this before, but Brandin Cooks has been traded. The Texans sent the veteran receiver to the Cowboys in exchange for a couple of Day 3 draft picks.
It's not a big surprise that Cooks was traded again. There was tension between him and Houston last season, as Cooks thought he was going to be dealt in advance of the 2022 NFL trade deadline.
Instead, the Texans kept him, which frustrated Cooks. He sat out for the game directly after the trade deadline because of that but returned the following week and played in six of Houston's final nine games.
Even still, the two sides seemed ready to part, and they did so on Sunday. As such, Cooks will wear a Dallas uniform in 2023 and possibly beyond.
Cooks will also make history as part of this trade, as he is now among the NFL's most-traded players of all time.
Just how many times has Cooks been traded? Here's everything to know about his history-making trade to the Cowboys.
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How many times has Brandin Cooks been traded?
Brandin Cooks has been traded four times during his career. He began his career with the Saints before being traded to the Patriots and then the Rams. From there, he was dealt to the Texans. Now, after a few seasons in Houston, Cooks will be making a home in Dallas and playing for his fifth different NFL club.
Cooks' four times traded are tied for the most in NFL history with two other players: Eric Dickerson and Kiko Alonso. That said, neither Dickerson nor Alonso ever played a down for the fourth team to which they were traded.
As such, Cooks will make NFL history if he is able to play for the Cowboys during the 2023 season.
Brandin Cooks trade history
During the early stages of his career, Cooks was viewed as a premium, No. 1-type receiver. As such, he fetched high-end compensation each of the first two times he was traded.
The value surrounding Cooks has declined in recent seasons as he draws nearer to 30 years old, but he still is considered a tradeable asset.
Below is a look at what Cooks fetched in each of his trades over the years:
Brandin Cooks Patriots trade details
Patriots get:
- WR Brandin Cooks
- 2017 fourth-round pick
Saints get:
- 2017 first-round pick (No. 32)
- 2017 third-round pick
The Patriots acquired Cooks after he posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Saints. Then just 23, Cook was expected to be a long-term No. 1 receiver for the Patriots, and he did help them to make the 2018 Super Bowl.
However, New England moved on from Cooks just one year after acquiring him while the Saints used the first-round pick acquired in the trade to select All-Pro offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk. So, it looks like New Orleans won this trade.
Brandin Cooks Rams trade details
Rams get:
- WR Brandin Cooks
- 2018 fourth-round pick
Patriots get:
- 2018 first-round pick (No. 23)
- 2018 sixth-round pick
Moving off Cooks was an odd choice for the Patriots, but they still managed to get solid compensation in return for his services. In fact, they got a pick in the 2018 NFL Draft that was better than the one they gave to the Saints, so the deal looked good from an asset-management standpoint.
The Patriots used the 2018 first-round pick on tackle Isaiah Wynn, who has performed well at times but has been injury-prone during his career. Looking back, they probably would rather have Ramczyk than one year of Cooks, especially since Wynn did block for them during their lone championship of his time in New England (Super Bowl 53).
The Cooks trade also proved to be a middling one for the Rams. Los Angeles got one 1,000-yard season out of Cooks and he led the team in receptions (19) and receiving yards (292) during their 2019 Super Bowl run. However, Cooks regressed and struggled with injuries in his second season. That prompted the Rams to trade him to the Texans, a trade in which they got less than they gave up for Cooks.
Brandin Cooks Texans trade details
Texans get:
- WR Brandin Cooks
- 2022 fourth-round pick
Rams get:
- 2020 second-round pick
The Rams were the first team to trade Cooks for a package that didn't involve a first-round pick. They settled for a 2020 second-round pick that they used on Van Jefferson.
The jury is still out on whether Jefferson will become a strong starting receiver, but he posted 50 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns in 2021 and helped the Rams to win a Super Bowl as the team's No. 3 receiver. As such, the deal was probably worth it for Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Houston got strong production out of Cooks, who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his first two years with the Texans. He provided a stable No. 1 receiver as the team reorganized the quarterback position but after some tensions ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, the Texans moved off Cooks in the 2023 offseason.
Brandin Cooks Cowboys trade details
Cowboys get:
- WR Brandin Cooks
Texans get:
- 2023 fifth-round pick
- 2024 sixth-round pick
Cooks hasn't turned 30 yet, but his price on the open market has dropped as that day draws nearer. The Texans were only able to obtain two, Day 3 picks for the receiver when they traded him to the Cowboys on Sunday.
Dallas needed a true No. 2 receiver across from CeeDee Lamb after struggling to find one last season after trading Amari Cooper. Cooks will give the team a deep threat and provide insurance against Michael Gallup's injury woes.
Some will wonder why the Cowboys didn't just keep Cooper, who netted them a fifth-round pick and a swap of sixth-round selections in a 2022 trade. That's a question worth asking, but it likely boils down to one factor: Cooks is cheaper than Cooper.
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Brandin Cooks contract
Cooks signed a two-year contract extension with the Texans in April of 2022. The deal was set to pay him just under $39.8 million during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Cooks will still be on that contract as he is dealt to the Cowboys, though a restructure of the deal ensures that the Cowboys won't be paying the full sum owed to him this season. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Texans will pay about $6 million of Cooks' 2023 salary while the Cowboys will pay the remaining $12 million.
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks restructured his contract Saturday so that Houston will pay $6 million of his salary this season and the Cowboys now will pay the remaining $12 million, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 19, 2023
That is certainly a nice compromise, as Dallas is getting Cooks on a team-friendly deal and will be able to cut or trade Cooks without consequence if it doesn't want to pay him $16.5 million for the 2024 season. Meanwhile, Cooks won't have to receive any sort of pay cut as part of the initial trade thanks to Houston's willingness to pay $6 million of the deal.
Below is a look at Cooks' contract, per Spotrac.com.
| Year | Base salary | Bonuses | Cap hit | Dead cap |
| 2023 | $12,000,000 | $352,932 | $12,352,932 | $12,000,000 |
| 2024 | $13,000,000 | $3,500,000 | $16,500,000 | $0 |
How old is Brandin Cooks?
This may seem hard to believe, but Cooks is still just 29 years old. He was only 20 when he was drafted in 2014 and turned 21 in the early stages of the season, making him one of the league's youngest players.
Cooks is now entering his 10th NFL season. It will be his age-30 season, as his 30th birthday will occur on Sept. 25.
All that's to say that Cooks is still young, relatively speaking. He has plenty left in the tank and could continue to be a quality starter for several more seasons — provided that he can stay healthy.
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Brandin Cooks stats
Cooks has been perennially underrated throughout his NFL career. Sure, he has endured some consistency issues, but he has also been productive playing for a slew of teams and quarterbacks.
Below is a look at Cooks' career stats by season, which includes four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with three different teams:
| Year | Team | Games | Catches | Yards | Receiving TDs |
| 2014 | Saints | 10 | 53 | 550 | 3 |
| 2015 | Saints | 16 | 84 | 1,138 | 9 |
| 2016 | Saints | 16 | 78 | 1,173 | 8 |
| 2017 | Patriots | 16 | 65 | 1,082 | 7 |
| 2018 | Rams | 16 | 80 | 1,204 | 5 |
| 2019 | Rams | 14 | 42 | 583 | 2 |
| 2020 | Texans | 15 | 81 | 1,150 | 6 |
| 2021 | Texans | 16 | 90 | 1,037 | 6 |
| 2022 | Texans | 13 | 57 | 699 | 3 |
| TOTAL | 132 | 630 | 8,616 | 49 |
Cooks will look to continue his relative success in Dallas. If he can log a 1,000-yard season with the Cowboys, he will be the only player to ever log 1,000-yard receiving seasons with five different clubs.
Currently, he and Brandon Marshall are the only to post 1,000-yard seasons with four different teams.