'Someone Wants Me!' New Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks Reveals View of NFL Record-Setting Trade

Brandin Cooks joins the Dallas Cowboys and is embracing the fact he's been involved in so many changes of address via trades.

If NFL receiver Brandin Cooks were up for induction into Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame, there's be an intense debate over which brand of headwear would represent him in athletic immortality. 

Cooks doesn't have to worry about such a quandary, as he's set to enter his 10th NFL season this fall. Even though he'll remain in Texas, he'll don his fifth different uniform after he was traded from the Houston Texans to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The in-state deal marks the fourth time Cooks has been involved in a trade - which ties him with Eric Dickerson for the all-time mark.

In an inspiring sign to those with lingering doubt that Cooks can handle the pressure of Dallas' expectation-laded offensive endeavors, the tenured receiver embraced his frequent appearances on the transaction ledger.

"I've really never gotten upset because, obviously, that means someone out there wants me to be a part of their group," Cooks said. "I think I'm just fortunate enough to be able to play with so many great organizations and make an impact in this league everywhere I've been. It excites me. I think it's special because that means I didn't get to free agency so people (are) jumping the gun to get me before I get there. 

"So that's the way I look at it. I look at it in a positive light." 

Poetically, Cooks' NFL career began as the result of a trade: a draft night deal between Arizona and New Orleans led him to the latter with the 20th overall pick of the 2014 selections. Since then, he's been a part of other deals initiated by the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and now the Texans, who got back a pair of day-three picks from the Cowboys in exchange for his services.

All the while, Cooks has been a reliable target despite constant career and personnel upheavals, amassing 8,616 yards over the past nine seasons. That's good for eighth in the league since his 2014 entry. 

To Cooks' point, it's easy to see why the Cowboys would covet his prescience on the roster: serving as a top aerial option in the tumultuous post-Deshaun Watson era in Houston, Cooks endured a career-worst season with 699 yards over 13 games but tallied 2,886 yards and 15 scores in his Texan tenure (2020-22). Dallas was desperate for receiving and big-play depth beyond top option CeeDee Lamb, as the first two in that category, Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown already moving on, both ironically making their way to the Texans.

And now Cooks is ready for what could in theory be a final stop, and one with a partnership keyed by QB Dak Prescott.

“He was excited,'' Cooks said of Dak reaching out to him immediately after the trade. "He said he can’t wait to get to work. He said he has a lot of respect for my game. He said he’s looking forward to having me as part of the group.”

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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