Brandin Cooks

Saints Showed Interest In Charvarius Ward; Latest On Brandin Cooks’ Return

April 12th, 2025 at 9:44am CST by Sam Robinson

Once again, the Saints crawled out of cap hell to create enough space to make some notable offseason additions. This included re-signing Chase Young and Juwan Johnson and adding Justin Reid to team with the player he replaced in Kansas City, Tyrann Mathieu. The latter also recommitted to the team on a reworked contract.

New Orleans, however, wanted to retain Paulson Adebo as well. Younger than the other top cornerbacks on this year’s market, Adebo came off the free agency board early via a three-year, $54MM Giants deal. Adebo’s broken femur did not scare the Giants off, as a big market formed for a player who had operated as the Saints’ No. 1 corner — thanks to Marshon Lattimore‘s injury issues — for much of the past two seasons. In the hours that followed, the Saints attempted to pivot to one of the market’s other top CBs as a replacement.

The team showed interest in Charvarius Ward, according to ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, but Adebo’s agreement looks to have helped shape the former All-Pro’s market. Despite coming off a down 2024, Ward attracted considerable interest — the Chiefs pursued a reunion — and ended up with a three-year, $54MM Colts deal. Ward did not match Adebo’s at-signing guarantee, locking in $27MM (to Adebo’s $34.75MM at signing), as he is three years older. But teams were interested in the standout ex-49ers and Chiefs cover man.

The Saints did not make a notable cornerback addition in free agency, which came months after they traded Lattimore to the Commanders for a three-pick haul. The team did bring back Isaac Yiadom, who had submitted some quality work before leaving for San Francisco in 2024, but the draft will bring a glaring need otherwise. After carrying a Lattimore-Adebo-Alontae Taylor trio, the Saints need to replenish their coverage cadre.

Needs loomed at receiver coming into free agency, after a season that saw Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed miss extensive time. Both are due back, but the Saints have been unable to rely on receivers for many years now. Their Michael Thomas extension went south quickly, as numerous injuries plagued a player that appeared on a Hall of Fame track at the time he signed the megadeal. Thomas did not play last season. One of Thomas’ former teammates, though, will help fill the void alongside Olave and Shaheed. Brandin Cooks is back on a two-year, $13MM deal that came with $7.75MM guaranteed at signing.

Cooks, 31, is also coming off a season shortened by injury. The oft-traded pass catcher missed seven games during his second Cowboys season; a knee infection shut him down as Dallas’ season shifted off course. Cooks, however, had proven durable — for the most part — in the years prior. The 12th-year wideout, who starred with the Saints from 2014-16 before his trade odyssey began, said (via Terrell) wide receivers coach Keith Williams played a key role in his choosing a New Orleans reunion. A holdover from Klint Kubiak‘s 2024 staff, Williams also attempted to recruit Cooks when he was a staffer at Fresno State.

Williams’ Fresno State years overlapped with Derek Carr‘s, and after Williams’ recruiting effort did not ultimately sway a teenage Cooks, the wide receiver said his belief in Carr was also part of the reason he returned to New Orleans. Reports of Carr’s shoulder injury now threaten to throw a wrench into that partnership coming to fruition, though it is still a bit early here. Regardless of the Saints’ QB situation, they have Cooks (six 1,000-yard seasons) as a proven option complementing Olave and Shaheed.

Cooks’ contract also contains $1.5MM in catch- and touchdown-based incentives, Terrell adds. He would need to reach 60 receptions to trigger the lowest of three $250K bonuses on that end; TD-wise, Cooks would need to score five to begin triggering the $250K bumps. Cooks has not cleared 60 catches in a season since 2021, though he does have three seasons of at least six TDs over the past five years.

Saints, WR Brandin Cooks Agree To Deal

March 21st, 2025 at 11:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

Brandin Cooks is returning to where his career began. The veteran wideout has a deal in place with the Saints, as first reported by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The pact (which is now official) is two years in length and is worth $13MM, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson adds.

Cooks spent his first three seasons with the Saints, quickly emerging as a focal point on offense. The former first-round pick topped 1,100 yards in 2015, then did so again the following year. His 20 touchdowns scored during his first New Orleans stint and status as a key deep threat did not produce a long-term arrangement with the team, however. Cooks was dealt to the Patriots during the 2017 offseason.

That marked the first of four times in his career the Oregon State product has been traded. The first two such deals brought back a first-round pick in return, a sign of his consistent production during his career. Cooks reached the 1,000-yard mark during his single New England campaign, and he matched the feat in one of his two Rams seasons. The deal which sent him to Houston resulted in a three-year Texans run, one which included a career-high 90 catches in 2021.

Cooks was dealt from the Texans to the Cowboys in 2023, and he operated as a full-time starter during his two Dallas campaigns. The 31-year-old expressed a willingness to re-sign in free agency, although he added he felt he was not used properly by the Cowboys. Dallas has been linked to the pursuit of veteran receivers this offseason (including Cooper Kupp), and Cooks’ departure will increase the team’s need for bringing in one of the other options still on the market.

The Saints still have Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed in place at the receiver spot for next season. Both wideouts missed considerable time through injury last year, however, so adding an experienced option in the passing game was seen as a priority for the spring. Especially since Marquez Valdes-Scantling recently departed in free agency, adding a vertical threat in the form of a Cooks reunion comes as little surprise.

Limited to 10 games last year, Cooks recently said he is fully healthy. The Saints will hope that remains the case moving forward given their multi-year commitment to pull off this agreement.

NFC Notes: Carr, Horn, Kupp, Cowboys, Okereke

March 8th, 2025 at 11:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Derek Carr‘s contract will be restructured for the second straight offseason, ensuring he remains with the Saints for at least one more year. The veteran quarterback’s future had been in question until the news of his pact being reworked.

General Mickey Loomis said keeping Carr in place was the team’s plan, so it comes as no surprise he will play a third season in New Orleans. The four-time Pro Bowler apparently would have welcomed a change of scenery, though. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Carr was believed to be willing to head elsewhere this offseason by joining a QB-needy team. The Saints, however, never showed a desire to move forward with a trade or release.

Carr made it clear before a final decision on his future was made that he would not welcome a pay cut. His $40MM in 2025 compensation will (to a large extent) now be paid out as a signing bonus, but it was already guaranteed under the pact’s previous setup. Trading or cutting their QB1 would therefore have not been feasible for the Saints, but it is still noteworthy Carr would have been on board with a fresh start after two years with the team.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

Extension talks are ongoing between the Panthers and Jaycee Horn. When healthy, the former No. 8 pick has proven to be an effective cornerback but injuries in 2021 and ’23 threaten to hurt his leverage. In spite of his missed time, Joe Person of The Athletic writes Horn is believed to be seeking a deal near the top of the position’s market (subscription required). Five corners are attached to an AAV of $20.1MM or more, and Jalen Ramsey leads the way at $24.1MM per year. That figure could very well be overtaken once Sauce Gardner (Jets) and Derek Stingley (Texans) have extensions in place, but Horn, 25, may not slot in very far behind them.
Cooper Kupp is known to be on the trade market, with the Rams making clear their intention of moving on from the eight-year veteran. The team is prepared to retain salary to swing a deal, and general manager Les Snead hopes to have one in place by next week (when the 31-year-old’s roster bonus is due). In his first interview since learning of the team’s choice to move on, Kupp said (via Sam Farmer of the L.A. Times) head coach Sean McVay informed him of the move during a face-to-face meting in his office. McVay has left the door (slightly) open to a return with his recent comments, but Kupp has moved forward knowing he will be playing elsewhere in 2025.
Brandin Cooks is one of many veteran receivers set to hit the market next week. The 31-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Cowboys, and in an interview with The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson he said he is open to re-signing. Cooks – who missed seven games in 2024 – added he is fully healthy, and Anderson writes there could be interest from multiple teams. While a return to Dallas is firmly in play, Cooks said he feels he has not been utilized correctly during his time there so far. The 11-year veteran played out a two-year, $20MM deal with the Cowboys.
Bobby Okereke‘s second season with the Giants was limited to 12 games due to a herniated disc in his back. The veteran linebacker is expected to be healthy in time for OTAs, but he could find himself on a new team by then. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News writes there have been rumblings this offseason about the Giants not viewing Okereke’s value in the same light as they did previously. A 2023 free agent signing for general manager Joe Schoen, the former Colt delivered 149 tackles and a pair of interceptions in his debut New York season. His production dropped this past campaign, though, and with two years left on his pact a trade or release could be under consideration. Moving on immediately would not yield notable savings, but a post-June 1 release would free up $9MM later in the offseason. Okereke, 28, is due a $3MM roster bonus March 17.
With regard to other Cowboys updates, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News notes veteran defensive ends Carl Lawson and Chauncey Golston could be on the way out. DeMarcus Lawrence hopes to re-sign, but he is also open to exploring his market. The Cowboys currently have Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland on their rookie deals and a pending mega-extension to work out with leading edge rusher Micah Parsons. Inexpensive depth will increasingly be a priority if any or all of Lawrence, Lawson and Golston sign elsewhere. Watkins adds that punter Bryan Anger and long snapper Trent Sieg are among the players Dallas aims to re-sign, something which has already been taken care of in the case of Osa Odighizuwa.

Cowboys Activate WR Brandin Cooks From IR

November 27th, 2024 at 3:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a week back at practice, Brandin Cooks is ready to go. The Cowboys will have the veteran wide receiver for their Thanksgiving Day game.

The team activated Cooks from IR on Wednesday. Cooks will certainly return to a team with a different outlook, as he has been out since Week 4. The Cowboys are now 4-7 and teetering on the brink of falling out of even fringe contention this season.

This is the second year of Cooks’ reworked Cowboys deal; he is due for free agency in 2025. Traded an NFL-record-tying four times, Cooks has never hit the market. The Saints (2017), Patriots (2018), Rams (2020) and Texans (2023) have traded him, with the returns lowering as the 2014 first-round pick has moved into the latter part of his career. Cooks, 31, can attempt to create a decent market for himself with a nice finish.

The 11th-year pass catcher will not be working with Dak Prescott, as he had in every other game in his Cowboys career. Cooper Rush is currently taking the snaps, with Trey Lance set for situational work. Prescott is out for the season after undergoing hamstring surgery.

Following Brandon Marshall in tallying 1,000-yard seasons for four different teams, Cooks did not run that number to five last season. He did serve as the Cowboys’ No. 2 wideout, accumulating 657 yards and eight touchdowns — his most since 2016 — in 16 games last season. Dallas has seen third-year player Jalen Tolbert (37 receptions, 410 yards, four TDs) become a regularly used contributor since Cooks’ injury, but a sizable gulf still exists between CeeDee Lamb and everyone else in Dallas’ passing attack.

The Cowboys also announced they placed tackle Asim Richards and cornerback Caelen Carson on IR. Carson, a rookie fifth-round pick, played a regular role for a stretch this season, seeing 252 defensive snaps in five games. A 2023 fifth-rounder, Richards played 128 snaps on offense this season. He made one start. Both players could return after four missed games, but the Cowboys have four injury activations remaining. One may still go to DeMarcus Lawrence, who joins Cooks in being out since the Cowboys’ first Giants matchup.

Cowboys Designate Brandin Cooks, Marshawn Kneeland For Return

November 20th, 2024 at 5:15pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

5:15pm: McCarthy confirmed that Bell will undergo surgery on his left shoulder, per Archer.

4:27pm: The Cowboys have designated wide receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive end Marshawn Kneeland to return from injured reserve, per a team announcement.

Cooks landed on IR in early October with an infection resulting from a procedure on his injured knee, while Kneeland required surgery for a partially-torn lateral meniscus around the same time. Both players are now eligible to return to practice. Once they do, they have three weeks before they must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending IR.

Cooks disappointed to start his second year in Dallas, catching just nine of 19 targets for 91 yards in four games. Jalen Tolbert and Kavontae Turpin have since surpassed the veteran in yards-per-game, so he may see a reduced role when he returns.

Kneeland, the 56th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, played in just five regular season games with 10 tackles and zero sacks before he injured his knee. Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence went down around the same time, severely handicapping Dallas’ edge rotation over the last month. Parsons played in Weeks 10 and 11, but Lawrence remains on injured reserve, so Kneeland could be in line for expanded opportunities if he beats his veteran teammate back to the field.

Head coach Mike McCarthy also mentioned offensive lineman Chuma Edoga as a candidate to practice this week, per WFAA’s Ed Werner. Edoga was designated for return on November 13, but has yet to practice since injuring his toe in the preseason. McCarthy added that tight end Jake Ferguson is still progressing through concussion protocol.

The Cowboys will be without safety and core special teams contributor Markquese Bell for the rest of the season, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. Bell dislocated his shoulder in Week 11 and could need surgery, which will land him on injured reserve in the coming days.

Cowboys Place WR Brandin Cooks On IR

October 5th, 2024 at 12:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Brandin Cooks‘ knee infection will sideline him for at least the next four games. The Cowboys have placed the veteran wide receiver on injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. Considering the team’s upcoming bye week, Cooks won’t be eligible to return until Week 10.

Cooks suffered his knee injury in Week 4, with the wideout opting for injections to avoid a scope. Unfortunately, that injection ended up leading to an infection, which then required its own scope to determine the impact on the player’s meniscus. When we learned of the infection earlier this week, it was speculated that Cooks would miss one to three weeks. Now, the wideout will have five weeks to recover (including the aforementioned bye).

It’s been a rough season for Cooks. The veteran was slowed by knee soreness during training camp, and he’s struggled to put up big numbers through the first month of the season. Following a Week 1 performance where he hauled in four catches for 40 yards and one touchdown, Cooks has been limited to five catches for 51 yards over the past three weeks. As our own Nikhil Mehta noted the other day, Cooks’ 0.67 yards per route run is tied for fifth-lowest among receivers with at least 10 targets in 2024.

With Cooks sidelined, the Cowboys will now be especially reliant on Jalen Tolbert behind WR1 CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys are also fortunate to have a capable pass-catching tight end in Jake Ferguson, but the team will otherwise be leaning on the likes of unproven receivers Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin, and rookie sixth-round pick Ryan Flournoy.

The Cowboys, of course, have also been mentioned as a potential suitor for Raiders receiver Davante Adams, although Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones was quick to shut down those rumors. Jones’ recent comments came after Cooks’ latest injury, so it’s unlikely today’s move will change the organization’s stance.

Cowboys’ Brandin Cooks To Miss Time

October 2nd, 2024 at 4:53pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

4:53pm: Providing further details on the matter, NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports Cooks underwent injections in his knee to avoid a scope being necessary. That is when the infection occurred, and the Cowboys’ team doctor later performed a scope to address the infection and its effect on Cooks’ meniscus. He should be out of the lineup for roughly one to three weeks, Slater adds.

11:11am: The Cowboys’ injury luck continues to worsen, as veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks will be sidelined for Week 5 and potentially longer after an infection developed in his right knee, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Cooks injured his knee against the Giants on Thursday and remained in New York for a medical procedure that resulted in the infection, which threatens his status for the Cowboys’ upcoming slate of games. Head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Cooks’ absence for Week 5 on Wednesday, according to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News.

Dallas is already contending with injuries to Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on the defensive side of the ball, with Cooks’ infection now thinning out their receiving corps behind CeeDee Lamb.

Cooks dealt with knee soreness during training camp, though it is unclear if his current injury and infection is related. The veteran wide receiver has struggled to begin the season, catching just nine of his 19 targets for 91 yards and one touchdown. His 0.67 yards per route run is tied for fifth-lowest among receivers with at least 10 targets in 2024, per Pro Football Focus.

Dallas has virtually no proven depth behind their top three of Lamb, Cooks and Jalen Tolbert, with KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Brooks combining for just eight receptions this season. Rookie Ryan Flournoy was a healthy scratch in Weeks 1-4, though that is likely to change with Cooks sidelined.

Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will need to make adjustments to his passing game in Cooks’ absence. Dallas has used three-receiver sets on more than 75% of their offensive plays this season, per SumerSports. Schottenheimer could rely more on tight ends Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker moving forward, which could aid a rushing attack that has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry this season, the second-lowest in the NFL.

The Cowboys could look to an external WR addition if Cooks’ infection results in a long-term absence, but initial reports indicate that they are not expected to pursue Davante Adams as his trade market heats up.

Cowboys’ Brandin Cooks Suffers MCL Sprain

September 17th, 2023 at 7:35am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 17: Cooks will indeed miss today’s game against the Jets, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. There is not yet any confirmation that Cooks will be able to suit up next week.

SEPTEMBER 14: The early part of Brandin Cooks‘ Cowboys tenure may involve an injury-driven absence. The veteran deep threat is dealing with an MCL sprain, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telgram’s Clarence Hill.

Although Cooks played through his recent injury to close out the Cowboys’ 40-0 romp over the Giants, his Week 2 status is up in the air. This injury commonly causes players to miss at least multiple games, though timetables vary. Cooks sustained a grade 1 sprain, the Dallas Morning News’ David Moore tweets, adding the team does not view it as a multiweek injury.

Cooks played 39 offensive snaps Sunday night and, per the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken, was walking without favoring the knee ailment this week. While Cooks said he feels good, it would not surprise to see the Cowboys exercise caution here. The team sent fifth- and sixth-round draft choices to the Texans for Cooks in March. Two years remain on the accomplished wideout/trade mainstay’s contract.

Dallas did not need much in the way of receiver contributions in Week 1, but the Week 2 Jets matchup will present tougher assignments for the team’s set of pass catchers. The team has starters CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup healthy, the latter now being nearly two years removed from a career-sidetracking ACL tear. The team also saw offseason improvement from 2022 third-rounder Jalen Tolbert, who struggled to make an impact as a rookie. Tolbert caught just two passes last season.

Injury absences have not been common for Cooks in his career. A calf injury sidelined the well-traveled veteran briefly last season, following his short time away from the team after trade talks did not produce an in-season deal. From 2015-21, however, Cooks combined to miss only four games. A two-concussion 2019 season proved concerning, and the Rams dealt the former first-round pick to the Texans months later. But Cooks has otherwise not needed to navigate much on the injury front.

Joining Brandon Marshall in totaling 1,000-yard receiving seasons for four franchises, Cooks is trying to make NFL history by clearing that bar for a fifth. The most recent of Cooks’ six 1,000-yard years came in Houston with Davis Mills as the primary triggerman. Seventh-round rookie Jalen Brooks and return man KaVontae Turpin are the other receivers on Dallas’ 53-man roster. Brooks was inactive Sunday night. Veteran Tyron Johnson resides on Dallas’ practice squad.

Cowboys Acquire WR Brandin Cooks From Texans

March 20th, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Rory Parks

MARCH 20: Upon acquiring the oft-traded wideout, the Cowboys restructured his deal. They moved $8MM of Cooks’ $12MM 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Cooks’ cap number will drop to $6MM in 2023, per Archer. It had resided at $12.4MM. Two void years are now attached to the 10th-year receiver’s deal, Archer adds (on Twitter). Cooks’ 2024 base salary is now $8MM — down from $13MM.

MARCH 19: Wide receiver Brandin Cooks has been traded once again. The Texans have agreed to send the 29-year-old to the Cowboys, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Schefter’s ESPN colleague, Jeremy Fowler, first reported that the two sides were working on a deal, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that Dallas is giving up a 2023 fifth-round choice (No. 161) and a 2024 sixth-rounder in the swap (Twitter links).

Cooks is under contract through 2024, and he is due a fully-guaranteed $18MM base salary in 2023. That number — along with the Texans’ ask of a second-round pick — became an obstacle in trade talks involving Cooks at last year’s trade deadline, as interested clubs wanted Houston to pay down a significant portion of Cooks’ salary. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Texans will pay $6MM of Cooks’ $18MM salary to facilitate the deal (Twitter link).

Cooks, a first-round pick of the Saints in 2014, was traded to the Patriots in March 2017, to the Rams in April 2018, and to the Texans in April 2020. In six of his nine professional seasons, the Oregon State product has topped 1,000 receiving yards, and his career 13.7 yards-per-reception rate is indicative of his status as a vertical threat. Over his first two seasons with the Texans, Cooks averaged roughly 85 catches and 1,100 yards per year.

However, things began to go south in 2022. Clearly frustrated by the Texans’ lack of competitiveness during his tenure in Houston, Cooks publicly expressed his frustration that he was not dealt to a winning club at the deadline, and he stepped away from the Texans for a week, missing the team’s Week 9 contest against the Eagles. At the time, he also made reference to organizational changes that upset him — which may have included the dismissal of former EVP Jack Easterby — and he said, “I don’t know everything that goes through [GM Nick Caserio’s] head.”

Even though Cooks remained on the Texans through the end of the 2022 campaign, it was reported in January that Houston was expected to accommodate his standing trade request this offseason. And the Cowboys, who made a push for Cooks at the deadline in an effort to supplement a WR corps that was clearly missing Amari Cooper — who was traded himself in March 2022 — finally got their man. ESPN’s Ed Werder says multiple teams were in pursuit of Cooks and appeared close to acquiring him, but Dallas was Cooks’ preferred destination (Twitter link).

Cooks, who has 58 receptions of 25+ yards downfield since he entered the league in 2014 — second only to Tyreek Hill during that span, as Werder tweets — should serve as a quality complement to CeeDee Lamb in a potentially explosive offense in Dallas. Although it appears that the team is parting ways with tight end Dalton Schultz, the Cowboys have 2022 fourth-rounder Jake Ferguson on the roster and could further supplement the position in a TE-rich draft. Lamb, Cooks, and Michael Gallup form a quality WR trio, and franchise-tagged Tony Pollard is a terrific weapon in the backfield.

The Texans, meanwhile, gain additional draft capital to aid in their rebuilding efforts in exchange for a player who wanted out. Houston — which coincidentally signed former Cowboy Noah Brown a few days ago — presently houses Robert Woods, Nico Collins, and 2022 second-rounder John Metchie III atop its WR depth chart.

Jimmy Garoppolo On Texans’ Radar

March 8th, 2023 at 10:15am CST by Sam Robinson

Potentially in place as the Jets’ post-Derek Carr backup plan to Aaron Rodgers and looming as a possible Raiders option, Jimmy Garoppolo will likely be connected to other suitors. Another AFC team stands to be in the mix for the five-plus-year 49ers passer.

Some among the Texans are behind adding Garoppolo and pairing him with a rookie quarterback, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes. DeMeco Ryans brought some former 49ers assistants to Houston, including ex-San Francisco pass-game coordinator Bobby Slowik as OC, so Texans-Garoppolo connections should be expected. The team also hovers near the top of the league in cap space, holding $40MM-plus as of Wednesday morning. Slowik confirmed Wednesday (via the Houston Chronicle’s Brooks Kubena, on Twitter) the team is looking into Garoppolo.

The Texans make some sense as a Garoppolo fit, given the 49ers ties and GM Nick Caserio‘s Patriots past. The team was connected to the 49ers trade chip during the draft last year. But the Texans also still profile as a rebuilding team. Garoppolo, 31, will likely pursue a winning situation in his first crack at free agency. A team that also is not planning to immediately draft a quarterback would seemingly appeal to the 10th-year veteran. Garoppolo is exiting a situation in which the 49ers kept him onboard as a bridge option.

But if Rodgers does end up on the Jets and the Raiders commit to a first-round pick with a cheaper veteran gatekeeper, Garoppolo’s options would narrow. Teams like the Falcons, Commanders, Panthers and Buccaneers have QB issues, with none in immediate position to add at the position in Round 1. The Falcons hold the second-most cap space, at $66.4MM, as well. The Commanders discussed a deal for Garoppolo in 2022, but Ron Rivera has said the team is not looking to spend as much at the position this year. The Bucs are at the bottom in cap space, and the Panthers are one of the teams mentioned as a trade-up candidate in Round 1.

Garoppolo landing in Houston with Ryans and Slowik would inject some familiarity into his third NFL destination, though the team coming off three-, four- and four-win seasons since 2020 will not help its cause. The Texans hold the Nos. 2 and 12 overall picks and will be connected to QBs up until the draft. They also profile as a team willing to trade up for a passer. Garoppolo coming in would put the Texans in better position to stand pat rather than send the Bears assets to make sure no QB-needy team outflanks them.

Additionally, the Texans did not seem too close on a deal that would accommodate Brandin Cooks‘ wishes, Jeff Howe of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Cooks has a standing trade request in place since before last year’s trade deadline. A few teams are interested, and with Tee Higgins and Keenan Allen being taken off the trade market, the values of Cooks and DeAndre Hopkins would go up. Cooks being moved would not make the Texans’ pass catcher situation particularly attractive, but the team is on track to have John Metchie back and should be expected to make other moves at the position if/once a Cooks trade commences.

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