On April 7, 2022, Brandin Cooks reached two-year agreement with the Houston Texans that runs through the 2024 season. With guarantees of $36 million, the contract is worth $39.6 million. The 28-year-old has also played for the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, and New Orlean Saints. In 2021, Cooks’ second season with the Texans, he recorded a career-high 90 receptions for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 591 more receiving yards than any other teammate and twice as many touchdown catches as any other Texan. Despite playing for five different NFL teams over in eight seasons, the WR has always stood out, compiling six seasons of at least 1,000 yards for each of the teams he has represented.

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Who is Brandin Cooks?

Brandin Cooks is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Born on September 25, 1993, he played college football at Oregon State and was drafted by the New Orlean Saints in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. 

The New Orleans Saints selected Cooks with the 20th overall choice in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. In order to acquire Cooks, the Saints moved up from 27th place and traded their first and third round picks to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Cardinal’s first-round pick.

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Cooks and the Saints agreed to a four-year, $8.3 million contract on May 18, 2014. Cooks caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in his debut NFL game against the Atlanta Falcons, losing 37-34 in overtime. He also rushed for 18 yards. Cooks, who ws 20 years and 347 days old, was the player with the youngest age to score a touchdown since 1997. The rookie’s season finished early because of a thumb injury. In the 10 games which iclude 7 starts, Cooks concluded his rookie season with 53 receptions for 550 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to seven carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. In 16 games and 12 starts, Cooks caught 78 receptions for 1,173 receiving yards and eight touchdowns to cap off the 2016 campaign.

On March 10, 2017, the Saints acquired Cooks and a 2017 fourth-round draft pick from the New England Patriots in exchange for their 2017 first- and third-round draft picks. Cooks’ fifth-year option was exercised by the Patriots on April 29, 2017.  Cooks had 65 receptions for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games and 15 starts during his one and only season with the Patriots. He also ran nine times for a total of 40 yards. The Patriots’ first 1,000-yard receiving pair since 2011 was made up of Brandin Cooks and Rob Gronkowski. He had a one-yard sprint and a 23-yard reception against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII, but he had to leave the game early in the second quarter due to a concussion after being tackled by Malcolm Jenkins. He was put on the concussion protocol and did not continue to play in the Super Bowl, which the Patriots lost 41-33.

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Cooks and a fourth-round draft pick were dealt by the New England Patriots to the Los Angeles Rams on April 3, 2018, in exchange for a first-round pick and a sixth-round pick. Cooks and the Rams agreed to a five-year, $81 million agreement on July 17, 2018, with $50.5 million guaranteed. In the games against Los Angles Rams in Week 12, he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the season in the 30-16 road win. Cooks made NFL history by being the first player to record 1,000 receiving yards in three straight seasons while playing for three different clubs.

In 16 games and starts, Cooks concluded the regular season with 80 receptions for a career-high 1,204 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, he ran 10 times for 68 yards and a touchdown. Cooks had seven receptions for 107 yards in the NFC Championship Game against the Saints, helping his team win 26-23 in overtime and go to the Super Bowl LIII. Cooks played in his second consecutive Super Bowl, as the Rams took on Cooks’ previous team, the New England Patriots. Cooks caught eight catches for 120 yards in the Super Bowl, but the Rams lost 13-3 in the game with the fewest points ever scored in a Super Bowl.

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Cooks played in 14 games and made 14 starts in the 2019 season, finishing with 42 catches for 583 yards and two touchdowns, both career lows for him since his debut year in 2014. Cooks and a fourth-round draft pick in 2022 were traded to the Houston Texans on April 10, 2020, in exchange for the Texans’ second-round pick. Cooks had 81 receptions for 1,150 yards and six touchdowns at the end of the 2020 campaign. He and Brandon Marshall are the only players to have 1,000-yard receiving seasons with four different teams in NFL history.

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Cooks began the 2021 season as the Texans’ primary wide receiver. He went on to become the third player in the history of the team to have two seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Cooks extended his two-year contract with the Texans on April 7, 2022, for $39.6 million, with $36 million guaranteed.