Should Chicago Bears trade for Brandin Cooks?
Reports have come out recently that the Houston Texans are open to trading Brandin Cooks. Cooks has been a great depth threat at all of his stops and would be a nice fit with Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears on paper.
The Texans are reportedly asking for a second-round pick in exchange for Cooks, and the Bears do have two of them. Could the Bears use their pick on the Khalil Mack trade to add Brandin Cooks? Cooks is younger, cheaper, and helps Justin Fields more.
Should Chicago Bears trade for Brandin Cooks?
The team should have interest, but the second-round pick is too lofty. Cooks is only signed for one season, so the team trading for him immediately has to decide whether to extend him, or whether they are just all-in on one season.
We know the Bears are not all-in on this season, so they would be trading with the anticipation of an extension. Cooks is 28 this year, which means his age 29 and 30 seasons would be right in the thick of the Bears’ possible contention window.
However, at the same time, it would be hard to want to extend Cooks to a deal beyond three years, because a speed threat over the age of 30 is a tough bet, and Cooks already has a long list of injuries to his name.
When you combine the fact that the team acquiring him would want immediate success with him, and that his contract and age do not fit the Chicago Bears window, it is hard to see them acquiring Brandin Cooks.
If the price came down, it would be another story, though.
Teams know the Texans want to move Cooks, and they can save at least $8M in the move. Beyond that, it helps them eat dead money now, and does not let it leak into future years. No team should be paying up to help take Cooks off of the Texans’ hands when everyone knows the Texans would want to get rid of him anyways.
A conditional pick or a day three pick would be much more tempting for Chicago. At that point, you are looking at a one-year deal for about $8M depending on the parameters of the trade. Taking that shot on a one-year deal is palatable for a day three, or future day three pick. A second-round pick is too much for a player that does not quite fit the Bears’ timeline.