Brandin Cooks (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Although there were big moves made ahead of the NFL trade deadline, Brandin Cooks and two other big-name players were surprisingly not among those who were dealt.
The NFL trade deadline was quite eventful, as we saw players like Christian McCaffrey, Roquan Smith, Bradley Chubb, Chase Claypool, Calvin Ridley, and T.J. Hockenson get dealt. Deadline day itself made for a record number of deals.
Plenty of teams with Super Bowl aspirations made final adjustments to their roster, and that of course was to be expected. This is the part of the season when the NFL explodes with an array of trades, and we were given plenty of entertainment this time around.
However, at the same time, it’s clear that we could have seen more deals come to fruition. A handful of players shockingly ended up staying put with their respective teams even with all of the rumors circulating them. Let’s take a gander at each of them now.
The most surprising players not to be dealt at NFL trade deadline: 3. Brandin Cooks
Brandin Cooks staying put was the biggest shock of deadline day. The Houston Texans let it be known that the veteran wide receiver was available for trade, while the 29-year-old has been open about wanting to play for a contender. Unfortunately, even with the Stockton native being linked to several teams, he stayed put, and things have hit the fan since.
Cooks let out a rather transparent tweet about his thoughts on not being moved, and it’s apparent that he is quite agitated with the Texans. Furthermore, he has not been at practice with the Texans all week since not being moved and is not expected to play in Week 9 because of it. It’s clear that Cooks has zero desire to be a Texan anymore, so what was the point of holding on to him past the deadline?
Cooks is owed a guaranteed $18 million next season, so perhaps that scared some teams away from him. Still, offers were on the table for him, but he will remain in Houston for the time being. In seven games this season, he has one touchdown, 32 receptions, and 354 receiving yards.