TRADE: Cowboys Acquiring Texans WR Brandin Cooks

The two sides talked at last year’s trade deadline but Cooks’ $18 million fully guaranteed salary for 2023 and Houston’s significant asking price were issues.

Aaron Wilson reports the Cowboys will send a fifth and sixth-round pick as compensation for the Texans, while Houston also eats $6 million in salary. Fowler notes the sixth-rounder will be in 2024. 

Cooks requested a trade last year, but the deadline came and went with him remaining in Houston. 

Cooks, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Saints back in 2014. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $8.4 million contract when he was traded to the Patriots in 2017. 

New England later picked up his fifth-year option for the 2018 season before trading him to the Rams for first- and sixth-round picks. From there, Cooks agreed to a five-year extension worth $81 million with Los Angeles only to be traded to the Texans.

Cooks was set to make a base salary of $12.5 million for the 2022 season when he agreed to a two-year, $39.6 million extension with Houston. 

In 2022, Cooks appeared in 12 games for the Texans and caught 52 passes on 87 targets for 593 yards receiving and two touchdowns.