How trading Brandin Cooks has turned out for the 3 teams that dealt him

Wide receiver Brandin Cooks has now been traded three times during his six-year NFL career. Cooks started with the New Orleans Saints, then was dealt to the New England Patriots, then he went to the Los Angeles Rams before, most recently, being traded to the Houston Texans.

It’s a bit unusual for a player to be moved that many times, let alone a former first-round pick who’s only 26 years old and has been productive when he’s healthy. In fact, since 1980, just one player has been traded more than Cooks: running back Eric Dickerson.

Although there were different circumstances that led to Cooks being dealt, each time his former team received valuable draft capital in return. What did the teams end up doing with those picks? Let’s run through them to find out.

In 2014, the Saints traded up in the draft to select Cooks with the No. 20 pick. During his three seasons with New Orleans, Cooks had 215 receptions, 2,861 yards, and 20 touchdowns. He led the Saints in receiving yards in 2015 and 2016. But Cooks’ frustration with the offense, plus the emergence of then-rookie Michael Thomas, led to the Saints shopping him. The Patriots offered both a first- and third-round selection in the 2017 draft, and Cooks was on the move.

The Saints turned those picks into:

Here’s how those two players have panned out for the Saints since 2017.

Ramczyk (No. 32 pick): The Saints have had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in recent years, and Ramczyk has been a key part of that. He has been the starter at right tackle since arriving in New Orleans. His strong play earned him a first-team All-Pro nod in 2019.

Hendrickson (No. 103 pick): Hendrickson has only played in 30 games over three seasons due to injuries. But he had the best season of his career last year, registering 4.5 sacks even with missing three games due to a neck injury.

Was the trade worth it for the Saints? Yep! Thomas has been able to carry the Saints’ receiving corps just fine, and they were able to get a starter on the offensive line and more pass-rushing depth.

In just one season in New England, Cooks had 65 catches for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns, which ranked second on the team after Rob Gronkowski. Cooks’ production helped the Patriots make the Super Bowl. However, with Cooks due a big raise that offseason, Bill Belichick did what he usually does: recoup some value rather than pay a young receiver.

The Patriots sent Cooks, along with a fourth-round pick, to the Rams for a 2018 first-round pick and a sixth-rounder.

The Patriots turned those picks into:

The Patriots drafted Wynn in the first round in 2018 and then traded the sixth-round pick for two seventh-round picks — one of which resulted in Crossen. The other pick was also traded, this time for a 2018 seventh-round pick and a 2019 seventh-round pick. They drafted Izzo with the first of those selections. The latter was ultimately traded, in a package with a fifth-round pick, to get Cowart in the fifth round of the 2019 draft.

Let’s take a look at what those four players have done for the Patriots.

Wynn (No. 23 pick): Wynn suffered a torn Achilles in the 2018 preseason and missed his entire rookie year. He missed eight games due to a toe injury last season and was the starting left tackle for the other eight.

Crossen (No. 243 pick): Crossen, who’s been primarily a special teamer in his career, played in 11 games for the Pats. In 2019, they traded him to the Texans for a 2020 sixth-round pick.

Izzo (No. 250 pick): Izzo was placed on injured reserve before the 2018 season and missed the whole year. Last season, he appeared in only six games, hauling in six passes for 114 yards and one touchdown.

Cowart (No. 159 pick, 2019): Cowart played in just five games and had two tackles in limited action.

Was the trade worth it for New England? Not really. The Patriots avoided giving Cooks a pricy extension and still won Super Bowl 53 against Cooks and the Rams. Still, they haven’t had a No. 1 receiver since Cooks left. Plus, trading him gave New England its highest draft pick since 2012 and the team used it on an offensive lineman who hasn’t played a full season. Izzo and Cowart have made minimal impact so far.

In 2018, Cooks was a major part of a Rams offense that finished second in total yards and scoring. The Rams went to the Super Bowl that year, and Cooks finished with a career-high 1,204 receiving yards. Then, just two years into his $80 million extension, he dealt with concussion problems and finished fourth on the team in receiving with 583 yards and two touchdowns last season.

In April, the Rams offloaded Cooks to the Texans and added a 2022 fourth-round pick as part of the deal.

In exchange, the Rams got the No. 57 pick in the 2020 draft. With that the Rams turned that into:

Jefferson (No. 57 pick, 2020): The Rams selected Jefferson out of Florida in the second round. Jefferson led the Gators in receiving with 657 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. His numbers aren’t incredibly flashy, but Florida’s receiving corps was pretty loaded that season, and quarterback Kyle Trask wasn’t as consistent as he could have been. Jefferson has the skill set to be a major part of the Rams’ offense. Whether or not he can be as good or better than Cooks, we’re going to have to wait and see.

Los Angeles had no first-round draft picks, and with the Cooks trade, it got two second-round picks. Trading Cooks also helped create some cap space in the future, even though the Rams are still on the hook for some of his dead money.

The Saints smartly used their picks acquired by trading Cooks, while it hasn’t worked out as well for the Patriots. How Los Angeles ends up faring remains to be seen.