Brandin’s ‘Bye-Bye’: Cowboys’ Cooks Wants to 'Get Back to Winning'

After three dreadful seasons with the Houston Texans, Brandin Cooks says he wants to get back to winning ahead of his first season with the Dallas Cowboys.

HOUSTON — Brandin Cooks made it clear around the trade deadline last year that he no longer wanted to be with the Houston Texans. 

Cooks' cryptic social media messages in November illustrated a disconnect between himself and the franchise. But by the end of the 2022 season, Cooks revealed that winning was his top priority when determining his future.

The Texans traded Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys in March. And the 10-year veteran receiver told NFL Total Access on Thursday he wants to win, regardless of the individual sacrifices Cooks may have to make in Dallas.

"I think just going into Year 10, being able to have special receivers around me like CeeDee [Lamb], M.G. [Michael Gallup], and J.T. [Jalen Tolbert], not only from a production role that I'm expecting but also from a role of being able to lead," Cooks said. "I want to get back to winning, and however that looks, I'm willing to do it."

Cooks was the Texans' top receiver since the Los Angeles Rams traded him to Houston in 2020. But due to the franchise's downfall, he witnessed just 11 wins over the previous three seasons.

Cooks' tenure with the Texans was far from the playoff-caliber teams he played for since starting his career with the New Orleans Saints as a first-round pick in 2014. 

He appeared in 44 games for the Texans and recorded 2,886 yards on 238 catches and 15 touchdowns. Cooks reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark in two of his three seasons in Houston. 

In his final game as a member of the Texans, Cooks led Houston to a 32-31 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 8. He put together his best performance of the season by finishing the day with 106 yards on five catches and a touchdown. That was a win. But it wasn’t enough … as Cooks now seeks something bigger in Big D.

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