NFL Rumors: Texans Wide Receiver Generating Trade Interest

The Houston Texans have been mired in mediocrity for three straight seasons, and contending teams have begun to scour their roster for players worth liberating. Apparently, wide receiver Brandin Cooks has caught eyes across the league. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports teams have begun calling the Texans regarding the wide receiver ahead of the November 1st trade deadline.

Big-name WRs generating trade interest:
-- #Texans WR Brandin Cooks has been the target of multiple calls.
-- #Steelers WR Chase Claypool has been in focus, but is not expected to be deal, barring a shift.
-- Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy has been the center of calls, as DEN sputtered.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 23, 2022

Cooks signed a two-year, $39.8 million extension this past offseason, so the Texans would incur significant dead money by parting ways with the wide receiver. Teams must believe the Texans' 1-3-1 start is sufficiently hopeless that the Texans would be willing to absorb a short-term hit to build for the future.

Cooks has been a dependable, consistent wide receiver since entering the league with the New Orleans Saints as their 20th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The nine-year veteran has totalled an impressive six 1000+ yard receiving seasons in his career despite playing on four different teams.

Cooks has proven solid in a variety of situations and succeeded everywhere he's gone, so he makes sense for any team looking to improve at wide receiver. At 29 years old, the only real knock against him is his relatively low ceiling. His career-high of 1205 receiving yards was all the way back in 2018. He has already been traded three times so far in his career, twice for first-round picks and most recently for a second.