Green Bay Packers Trade Target: Houston WR Brandin Cooks
By Paul Bretl
The trade deadline is nearing and the Green Bay Packers have already been active adding to their roster this season through free agency.
Oftentimes in the past, Green Bay has been connected to a big-name player on the trade market, but as Packers fans know all too well, those rumors never quite end up coming to fruition.
However, as I wrote recently, perhaps this year could be different. If we’ve learned anything over the last six months, it’s that Brian Gutekunst and Co. are operating much more aggressively as they go “all-in” on the 2021 season—and there are numerous examples that help illustrate that point.
For starters, the Packers have pushed a massive amount of cap charges to future years in order to keep this team together for one more year. They’ve also made several veteran additions this season already, including trades for Randall Cobb and Corey Bojorquez as well as signing Jaylon Smith, Whitney Mercilus, and Rasul Douglas.
So perhaps, we will see a more aggressive front office during this year’s trade deadline as well. Only time will tell, but if that is in fact the case, then-current Houston Texan Brandin Cooks should be on Gutey’s radar.
The addition of Brandin Cooks would provide this Green Bay Packers offense with another playmaker.
Whether it be in New Orleans, New England, Los Angeles, or Houston, Cooks has found success at each stop. He’s recorded at least 1,100 receiving yards in five of his last six seasons and he’s on pace once again in 2021.
Cooks is averaging 14.1 yards per catch over his career with 41 touchdowns and has caught nearly 69 percent of his career targets, according to PFF ($$). He’s also a proven downfield threat despite being listed at 5’10”—with the 12th most targets this season of 20+ yards.
With Davante Adams and Aaron Jones getting the bulk of the touches in this offense, the Green Bay Packers will still be fine if they don’t add another pass-catcher.
However, there’s also no such thing as having too many weapons either, and Cooks would provide Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur with another playmaker. Forcing defenses to have to cover Adams, Jones, Cook, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Robert Tonyan would be a difficult task.
Cooks can line up out wide or in the slot, he was a 70/30 split over his career, and with 4.33 speed coming out of Oregon State, he would be effective on screens and as a motion man in this LaFleur system. His presence should also help create for those around him.
"“He (Cooks) comes to work,” said Texans head coach David Culley via Sports Illustrated. “He knows his job. He’s very skilled at what he does. He’s not only just a heck of a receiver but [what] he does in the run game, all the little things. And he always plays big. And what I’m saying there is that when that ball is up in the air, he’s not a very big guy playing the position, but he plays big. And he plays consistent. And he plays the game the right way all the time.”"
Now, of course, when talking trades we have to talk about the salary cap as well. According to Over the Cap, Green Bay has $5.27 million in available space—so there’s some room to operate, however, not a lot.
But as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out, Cooks has just $1.7 million remaining due on his 2021 contract and then $13 million of his 2022 contract are not guaranteed—meaning, the Packers have the cap space to add him for this season but can move on in the offseason with relative ease if needed.
The NFL trade deadline is November 2nd and there is always the very real possibility that the Green Bay Packers stay put. But if there is a season where they make a move, you would think that this is it as they are clearly all-in on 2021.
Not to mention that Green Bay and Houston have already traded twice this season — Cobb initially and then Ka’dar Hollman for a draft pick — and the Packers did just sign Mercilus as well.
Does that mean a trade is incoming? Of course not. But it’s worth noting as the Texans continue to clean house.
As good as this Green Bay Packers offense can be, Cooks would step in and be WR2 immediately. This type of move isn’t a must, but it would most certainly help.