Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Report reveals Texans' absurd asking price for Brandin Cooks

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 11/3/22

The Houston Texans decided against trading wide receiver Brandin Cooks at the NFL trade deadline despite significant speculation that they would do so. Apparently, the lack of a trade was down to the Texans valuing Cooks extremely highly.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday that the Texans asked teams for a second- and fourth-round pick in exchange for Cooks. Any trade partner was also expected to take on Cooks’ full $18 million salary for 2023, which is fully guaranteed.

One of the main reasons Houston was unable to trade WR Brandin Cooks was because it wanted second- and fourth-round picks in return for him, per sources. No team was willing to trade a 2 and 4, and assume Cooks’ $18 million fully guaranteed money for next season.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2022

Cooks is a good player, but not good enough to justify that sort of spend. By comparison, the Chicago Bears were able to acquire 24-year-old Chase Claypool, a wide receiver younger than Cooks (29) and significantly cheaper for 2023, for only a second-round pick.

The Texans may ultimately come to regret sticking to their high asking price. They wound up getting nothing for Cooks, and now they have a disgruntled player on their hands.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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