METAIRIE, La. – With his speed and big-play ability, Brandin Cooks might be the most dynamic playmaker the New Orleans Saints have had in the Sean Payton-Drew Brees era.
However, I understand why the Saints would seriously consider trading Cooks if they can get the kind of return that sources have suggested to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (possibly the Tennessee Titans’ No. 18 pick in the draft or a deal that includes the Saints moving up from No. 11 to No. 5).
Time and again, we have seen the Saints prove they can still thrive on offense without top playmakers such as Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory, Robert Meachem, Kenny Stills, Devery Henderson and others.
The Saints led the NFL in total offense last year – just like they did in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014.
More importantly, it’s possible that the Saints would balk at signing Cooks to a lucrative long-term extension after their option runs out on him following the 2018 season.
Cooks probably will cost more than $10 million per year in a long-term extension. And chances are the Saints won’t want to spend that kind of money on both Cooks and 2016 breakout rookie receiver Michael Thomas long-term, when they have more glaring needs on defense, the offensive line and eventually at quarterback. The Saints like Thomas a lot and could view him as the harder of the two to replace, especially since Thomas will be a lot cheaper for the next few years.
So trading Cooks could make sense now – rather than waiting until his trade value would decrease next year or he might get away for nothing in 2019.
I don’t think this is a case of the Saints trying to get rid of a “malcontent,” though.
Although Cooks expressed his frustration with his role in the Saints’ offense last year – uttering the memorable line, “Closed mouths don’t get fed” – I think he generally has a good relationship with teammates and management. Cooks and Brees are especially close and live just down the street from one another in San Diego during the offseason.
But Cooks had a point when he complained last year about being used too often as a clear-out receiver to open things up for other guys in the offense. (Cooks complained after being targeted zero times in a 49-21 rout over the Los Angeles Rams, but he was also frustrated by some quiet games earlier in the season).
The Saints could pay a cheaper speedster to run those deep clear-out routes – though a cheaper receiver obviously won’t be as productive as Cooks has been. And a cheaper receiver wouldn’t draw the same level of coverage as Cooks, who often drew shadow coverage from teams’ No. 1 cornerbacks or double coverage from a corner and safety.
So the Saints aren’t just going to give up Cooks for free – nor should they.
The 5-foot-10, 189-pounder, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds at the 2014 scouting combine, has added a lot of juice to New Orleans’ offense over the past three years.
He has emerged as one of the NFL’s most dangerous playmakers with a total of 2,311 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns over the past two years. He had two of the NFL’s four longest receptions last year (a 98-yard touchdown and an 87-yard TD). Brees compared him to Usain Bolt a couple of times.
But if the Saints turn Cooks into something like the 18th pick of the draft – and somehow manage to come away with a younger, cheaper, defensive version of him – a trade could make sense.
The wild-card scenario here is that the Saints could be considering more of a total rebuild. If they wind up with the Titans’ No. 5 draft choice, they could consider drafting a quarterback such as Deshaun Watson or Mitch Trubisky as Brees’ eventual successor.
But that scenario requires a few more “what-ifs,” and the thinking here is that a Cooks deal would be aimed more toward building an instant contender that can win while Brees is still thriving.
Even with Cooks and a dynamic passing offense, the Saints have finished 7-9 three straight years. It’s hard to blame them for considering other options.