The New Orleans Saints enter the upcoming NFL campaign with one of the lowest implied win totals. Only a handful of teams are expected to finish with fewer victories than them, which will make life even more difficult for aging wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
Cooks signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Saints earlier this offseason, rejoining the franchise that called his name over a decade ago. While his homecoming is a fun story, New Orleans is an odd landing spot for all parties involved.
Brandin Cooks' second stint with the Saints won't go as well as the first
Already on the back nine of his career, 2024 marked Cooks' worst season as a pro. He caught 26 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns across 10 games (nine starts). Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave him a 63.2 overall grade, which ranked 78th of 98 qualifying receivers.
To make matters worse, Cooks will compete with talented pass-catchers like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Juwan Johnson for targets. Alvin Kamara is also arguably the league's top receiving back, another mouth to feed that should be ahead of him in the pecking order. Being the fourth or fifth option (at best) for a Saints club that doesn't project to fare well is not great, to put it mildly.
Moreover, who Cooks will catch passes from in 2025 remains unclear as of this writing. Will it be veteran signal-caller Derek Carr? His standing in New Orleans is in question amid a mysterious shoulder injury. Rising second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler struggled mightily as a rookie, though the Saints (questionably) remain hopeful he'll reach his potential. May we interest you in 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough, an oft-injured prospect who turns 26 in September?
None of New Orleans' possible options under center bode well for Cooks. If there's anything positive going for Cooks, it's his familiarity with the organization. The Saints spent a day one selection on him back in 2014. He spent three years with the club before getting dealt to the New England Patriots in 2017 for a first-round pick.
Cooks' career will be remembered as one of the most unique in league history whenever he hangs up the cleats. The 31-year-old has been traded four times, tying Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson for the most all-time. Yet, his production was steady at every stop, recording at least 1,000 yards with four different squads.