Brandin Cooks, Devonta Freeman Join Watt Brothers as Reebok NFL Athletes
Reebok has signed a pair of NFL players to endorsement deals, increasing its pro football endorsements to five players, the footwear and apparel company announced Monday morning.
Patriots receiver Brandin Cooks and Falcons running back Devonta Freeman join the Watts brothers as the only NFL athletes who are signed with Reebok. Cooks and Freeman will be sporting the company’s Print Run Ultraknit shoe.
Reebok, which operates under Adidas, signed Houston Texan star J.J. Watt in 2015. The defensive end was joined just this month by his brothers Derek and T.J., who play for the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. The three Watt brothers were, until Monday, Reebok’s only presence in the league.
Cooks, who is entering his first year in New England, said the deal was a no-brainer.
“I think it matters, first of all, when you get a company like Reebok to believe in you, and believe in you the way you believe in yourself. It means a lot to an athlete,” he said. “And you don’t get too many opportunities like this, so when you have it, you’re supposed to take advantage of it, have fun with it and continue to grow the relationship together.”
The 23-year-old spent his first three professional seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He set a career-high in receiving yards last season with 1,173 total.
Freeman was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl last season, helping the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance. He’s scored 11 touchdowns in each of the past two years.
"Being one of the few NFL athletes to carry the torch is like a badge of honor to me," said Freeman. "Their confidence in me and dedicated support of my training allows me to focus on being the best athlete I can be both on and off the field."
Cooks said he used the Reebok shoes toward the end of his off-season.
“For me, having to do a lot of change of direction and be able to work out on different surfaces, having a shoe that can do it all is pretty spectacular for many reasons,” he said. “The training aspect is so important to me in my career and my preparation for the game. I think they do it really good, in fact probably second to none when it comes to the training.”