Dallas Cowboys veteran Brandin Cooks recently admitted that while he was frustrated with his lessened role with the team in 2024, he was willing to use free agent to eventually return to The Star in 2025.
"That door's not shut, absolutely not.'' he said.
But that was then. And on Friday? The classy receiver with his 1,000-yard track record has seen the writing on the wall in Dallas and is walking through an open door in New Orleans.
Cooks had a down year last season as Brandin's 259 yards was his lowest-ever return, along with three touchdowns from 26 receptions.
And that, combined with the fact that he'll be 31 this season, hurt his attractiveness here.
So he's signing with the Saints, who as it happens are now coached by former Dallas assistant Kellen Moore.
Oh, and one more things about the Saints: That's the club Cooks started with as their first-round draft pick in 2014.
Cooks recently said of Dallas via DLLS Sports, "I got a lot of love for those guys in the locker room. I think 'Schotty' is going to do a heck of a job putting his taste to it, Dak is still one of the top quarterbacks in this league and they know how I feel about them and they know how I feel about the organization and so we'll just kind of see how it goes."
The truth is, though, that Dallas never did prioritize his return, as evidenced by how quickly they've given away his No. 3 jersey to signee Dante Fowler Jr.
New head coach Brian Schottenheimer certainly got a vote here as Dallas is very much in need of a No. 2 receiver alongside CeeDee Lamb.
But even though it would not have been a wildly expensive exercise to bring Cooks back - he is signing a two-year, $13 million deal with the Saints - the Cowboys are going in a different direction under Schottenheimer ... so Cooks is going to New Orleans.
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This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 11:22 AM.