Brandin Cooks traded to Texans

[danlhart87]

Texans get Cooks and 22' 4th

Rams get 2nd (57th)

 

How does Bill O'Brien still have a job?

[TheNextGM]

It’s an overpayment from the Texans but I think he fits well there.. Watson scrambles a lot and buys his WRs time..   Cooks is fast and will do well there.. 

 

Deep WR draft though so a bit of a head scratcher 

[pacolts56]

25 minutes ago, danlhart87 said:

Texans get Cooks and 22' 4th

Rams get 2nd (57th)

 

How does Bill O'Brien still have a job?

Five concussions in 6 years.... and a draft chock full of WR depth... and he makes this trade now?

 

Don't get wrong.... I hope he keeps hemorrhaging their draft capital....but if I was the Texans owner he woulda been gone 5 minutes after the Hopkins deal. 

[ColtJax]

He has 1st round talent. Getting him for a 2nd is good, but the Rams throwing in the 2022 4th makes it a good deal.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

This is a good WR class this is a stupid move to give up the second they got for Hopkins.  This guy has been all over. Clearly something is wrong with Cooks. Hopkins deal isn’t even final yet. Would be hillarious if that fell through.

[The Peytonator]

How a conversation between Ballard and BoB should go....

 

Ballard: Look BoB, we have a great quarterback that we just don’t have the cap space for and we think would be mutually beneficial for both our teams to come to an agreement. We’ll give you Jacoby and you give us Deshaun. We get cap relief now, and you get it in another year when you no longer have to pay Watson.

 

BoB: Uhhhhhhh, that sounds like a pretty good deal but we think we could get more value out of it. 

Ballard: Look BoB, we can come up a little, Brissett for Watson and Tunsil, but you have to eat Tunsil’s signing bonus when we get his new contract. Final offer or we’re walking. 
 

BoB: You son of a *, I’m in. 

 

[PrincetonTiger]

What a move by BoB

 

     

[WarGhost21]

Bill O’Brien continues to be the greatest GM in football! 
 

[Mel Kiper's Hair]

All of the other teams in the AFC South pray every night that BOB keeps his job as GM FOREVER!!!! 

[richard pallo]

2 hours ago, TheNextGM said:

It’s an overpayment from the Texans but I think he fits well there.. Watson scrambles a lot and buys his WRs time..   Cooks is fast and will do well there.. 

 

Deep WR draft though so a bit of a head scratcher 

Not really.  It's a deep WR class so he can draft one later.  He is also trying to win it now and realizes he needs more than a promising rookie WR.  He added a veteran WR that will contribute right away and help offset the departure of Hopkins.   It's not an even swap but it's a swap none the less.  I think Cooks will do fine with Watson.  I'm sure Watson feels a lot better tonight than he did when he woke up this morning.  I'm betting their whole team is feeling better for that matter.  

[The Peytonator]

 

[runthepost]

Next year BOB will give us Watson and Fuller for the ghost of Andrew Luck and TY’s clown mask

[jameszeigler834]

4 hours ago, TheNextGM said:

It’s an overpayment from the Texans but I think he fits well there.. Watson scrambles a lot and buys his WRs time..   Cooks is fast and will do well there.. 

 

Deep WR draft though so a bit of a head scratcher 

I think Cooks is overrated notice that guy doesn't last long wherever he has played.

[crazycolt1]

A: The concussions are a problem

B: I would rather the Colts defend Cooks than Hopkins. 

C: O'Brien deserves a lifetime contract with the Texans. 

[Valpo2004]

12 hours ago, The Peytonator said:

How a conversation between Ballard and BoB should go....

 

Ballard: Look BoB, we have a great quarterback that we just don’t have the cap space for and we think would be mutually beneficial for both our teams to come to an agreement. We’ll give you Jacoby and you give us Deshaun. We get cap relief now, and you get it in another year when you no longer have to pay Watson.

 

BoB: Uhhhhhhh, that sounds like a pretty good deal but we think we could get more value out of it. 

Ballard: Look BoB, we can come up a little, Brissett for Watson and Tunsil, but you have to eat Tunsil’s signing bonus when we get his new contract. Final offer or we’re walking. 
 

BoB: You son of a *, I’m in. 

 

 

I keep saying the Colts need to offer him a 5th round pick for Watson.  

 

And for the record this goes to what I've said before that there is some sort of problem with Brandon Cooks.  I don't know what it is, but someone with that level of talent doesn't get traded that often unless there is some other problem. 

[chad72]

9 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

A: The concussions are a problem

B: I would rather the Colts defend Cooks than Hopkins. 

C: O'Brien deserves a lifetime contract with the Texans. 

 

Well said!!! Cooks does not have the catch radius that Hopkins has when matched up against good press corners. He has never been a good contested ball catcher vs taller CBs. He wins only when he gains separation with his speed.

 

If he is used in the middle, he is in trouble with his history of concussions, just like the Eagles SB (the one the Patriots lost) where Malcolm Jenkins took him out with a hit giving him a concussion. He doesn't have the awareness of a slot wide out like Edelman to go down fast enough to be used much in the slot. 

 

O'Brien is doing damage control right now and like the Pagano/Grigson combo messed up Andrew Luck's ceiling to be realized without injuries (choice of OL, choice of coaches and scheme etc.), Bob is going to make sure Watson fails to realize his ceiling too, IMO.

[TonyBungee]

Wow.  I like Cooks, but the Texans went from arguably the best WR in the league to the 3rd-best WR on the Rams.

[ColtJax]

The biggest problem with Cooks for the Texan's fans is that they already had him in Fuller. Both are speed receivers and both are injury prone. Giving up a 2nd rounder this year wasn't smart on their part since they have so few picks and this is a loaded draft for WR's..

[aaron11]

pretty clear he just didn't like hopkins.  i dont think hes a great coach or gm but they have been winning and cooks was a good pick up for them now 

[King Colt]

I'm in no way qualified to be a pro football GM so I just sent my resume to the Texans home office. See you all on the field. Can't wait.

[2006Coltsbestever]

Great move - Colts fans. Keep up the great work Billy  

[shasta519]

3 hours ago, ColtJax said:

The biggest problem with Cooks for the Texan's fans is that they already had him in Fuller. Both are speed receivers and both are injury prone. Giving up a 2nd rounder this year wasn't smart on their part since they have so few picks and this is a loaded draft for WR's..

 

Having Fuller and Cooks on the field as the same time is going to be a problem for opposing teams. Interestingly, Hopkins being gone might actually open up their offense a bit...and help Watson take his game to the next level. Sounds counter-intuitive I know...but Luck was never as dangerous as he was when he was spreading it around.

 

As for the 2nd round pick...that was the cost of getting that contract as well. Cooks' contract is incredibly team-friendly. It's a 4/$44M with only $8M gtd (his base salary and total cap hit for this year). After that...it's essentially three team options at $12M each...which is not only an incredibly team-friendly structure...but also a very cheap cost for the type of production that Cooks has provided in his career. This is especially huge with Watson's upcoming deal.

 

Fuller is also a FA after next year...and is actually a year older than Cooks. So Cooks gives them insurance in case they can't keep Fuller...or just replaces him altogether...already locked in at a very favorable contract.

 

Cooks' concussions are the wildcard here though. One or two more...and he could be done. I don't know if I would have the appetite for that...but I can understand why a team would.

[chad72]

8 minutes ago, shastamasta said:

 

Cooks' concussions are the wildcard here though. One or two more...and he could be done. I don't know if I would have the appetite for that...but I can understand why a team would.

 

Cooks has always done well in Year 1 that a new team had him, and then they trade him later.

 

Went from NO to Patriots for 1 year in 2017, lost in SB, traded to Rams. Then Rams went to SB in 2018, traded in 2020. 3 years in NO, 2 years with Rams, 1 year with Patriots is his resume so far.

 

He has played for 3 good offensive schemers in Sean Payton, Josh McDaniels and Sean McVay. Bill O' Brien would be a step down, IMO. They all had good O-lines too, that would be a step down too, IMO.

[shasta519]

1 hour ago, aaron11 said:

pretty clear he just didn't like hopkins.  i dont think hes a great coach or gm but they have been winning and cooks was a good pick up for them now 

 

I think people oversimplify the Hopkins situation somewhat. Yes...arguably the best WR in the NFL. But he is going to require a $21-22M contract going forward...especially after Cooper just got $20M. 

 

HOU not only has to pay their young franchise QB his massive second contract (which will likely surpass Wilson's $35M/year)...they also have to re-sign their franchise LT they just traded for.

 

Popular sentiment is that QB and LT are either #1 and #2 or #1 and #3 in the list of most important positions. And it would be incredibly difficult to carry a top 1-2 contract at QB, LT and WR. That might take up 40% of their cap space.

 

Taking back DJ's contract was a poor move...especially the optics. But Cooks' cost about half of what Hopkins would have...which might allow them to keep Fuller as well.

 

Not a huge fan of BoB...but it's the reality of the business of the NFL. I think Grigs probably deserves more respect (than he will ever get) for successfully navigating the extensions of his franchise QB, franchise LT and WR1...though QB, LT and WR contracts have exploded since then.

[shasta519]

8 minutes ago, chad72 said:

 

Cooks has always done well in Year 1 that a new team had him, and then they trade him later.

 

Went from NO to Patriots for 1 year in 2017, lost in SB, traded to Rams. Then Rams went to SB in 2018, traded in 2020. 3 years in NO, 2 years with Rams, 1 year with Patriots is his resume so far.

 

He has played for 3 good offensive schemers in Sean Payton, Josh McDaniels and Sean McVay. Bill O' Brien would be a step down, IMO. They all had good O-lines too, that would be a step down too, IMO.

 

Cooks has just done well period...until last season. Not easy to replicate 1,000 yard four seasons in a row.

 

Seasons 2-5 were very much on par with TY...and Cooks was better in some ways. TY was also two years older.

[crazycolt1]

1 hour ago, shastamasta said:

 

Not a huge fan of BoB...but it's the reality of the business of the NFL. I think Grigs probably deserves more respect (than he will ever get) for successfully navigating the extensions of his franchise QB, franchise LT and WR1...though QB, LT and WR contracts have exploded since then.

I don't think anyone had a problem with Grigson as far as managing the cap.

It was all the other things that went south. 

[Myles]

I can't understand the Texans moves at all.    They could have just paid Hopkins.  They are taking on a huge Cooks contract.   They traded Hopkins for a 2nd round pick then traded a 2nd round pick for Cooks.   They could have used that pick on a WR in the draft.  

[2006Coltsbestever]

7 minutes ago, Myles said:

I can't understand the Texans moves at all.    They could have just paid Hopkins.  They are taking on a huge Cooks contract.   They traded Hopkins for a 2nd round pick then traded a 2nd round pick for Cooks.   They could have used that pick on a WR in the draft.  

Once Rivers retires, maybe they will trade us Watson for a Big Mac and Fries  

[NFLfan]

On 4/10/2020 at 3:05 PM, shastamasta said:

HOU not only has to pay their young franchise QB his massive second contract (which will likely surpass Wilson's $35M/year)...they also have to re-sign their franchise LT they just traded for.

 

Popular sentiment is that QB and LT are either #1 and #2 or #1 and #3 in the list of most important positions. And it would be incredibly difficult to carry a top 1-2 contract at QB, LT and WR. That might take up 40% of their cap space.

 

If O'Brien's goal was to save money and manage the salary cap, why trade for Cooks when he could have drafted a WR with the pick they gave up for him? A rookie WR would have cost less than Cooks. It does not make sense. 

 

Too bad he did not trade Hopkins to the Vikes for Diggs.

[richard pallo]

2 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

If O'Brien's goal was to save money and manage the salary cap, why trade for Cooks when he could have drafted a WR with the pick they gave up for him? A rookie WR would have cost less than Cooks. It does not make sense. 

 

Too bad he did not trade Hopkins to the Vikes for Diggs.

I think it makes sense because he is trying to win it now.  His best chance at that is with a veteran WR not a rookie.  That said I expect he will probably draft one as well.   I'm hoping Ballard adds a veteran WR.  Still lots of time. 

[NFLfan]

On 4/9/2020 at 8:01 PM, pacolts56 said:

if I was the Texans owner he woulda been gone 5 minutes after the Hopkins deal

 

Agreed. It seems like he realized he made a huge mistake getting rid of Hopkins and traded for Cooks to look better. His moves look like those of a gambler who loses a lot but continues to gamble to get some of what he has lost back but just continues to lose. O'Brien looks worse with each move. 

[NFLfan]

1 minute ago, richard pallo said:

I think it makes sense because he is trying to win it now.  His best chance at that is with a veteran WR not a rookie.  That said I expect he will probably draft one as well.   I'm hoping Ballard adds a veteran WR.  Still lots of time. 

 

He should have kept Hopkins if he wants to win now. 

[RollerColt]

Brandon Cooks does not scare me. 

[lollygagger8]

Has Bill O'Dismantlien secretly been still on the pats payroll this whole time? 

[crazycolt1]

57 minutes ago, lollygagger8 said:

Has Bill O'Dismantlien secretly been still on the pats payroll this whole time? 

Maybe he is secretly been on Irsay's payroll?                     

[GRUMPY OLD MAN]

On 4/9/2020 at 10:54 PM, richard pallo said:

Not really.  It's a deep WR class so he can draft one later.  He is also trying to win it now and realizes he needs more than a promising rookie WR.  He added a veteran WR that will contribute right away and help offset the departure of Hopkins.   It's not an even swap but it's a swap none the less.  I think Cooks will do fine with Watson.  I'm sure Watson feels a lot better tonight than he did when he woke up this morning.  I'm betting their whole team is feeling better for that matter.  

yes , obrien is like hoodie he goes for it all each season and finds a way to fill those needs, without depending on rookie draft picks who are a crap shoot. great deal

[crazycolt1]

3 hours ago, DEFENSE said:

yes , obrien is like hoodie he goes for it all each season and finds a way to fill those needs, without depending on rookie draft picks who are a crap shoot. great deal

There is a slight difference between Belichick and O'Brian. 

The fan base in New England wants Belichick while the fan base in Texas wants O'Brian gone. O'Brian has even received death threats from the fan base.

Just saying.