NY Jets are kicking the tires on a potential Brandin Cooks trade

The NY Jets are exploring the possibility of a Brandin Cooks trade this offseason. Here are all the details and what it all means.

The NY Jets are clearly doing their homework on several available options in free agency, the 2020 NFL Draft, and the trade market this offseason at the wide receiver position.

Los Angeles Rams wideout Brandin Cooks is the latest name that is picking up steam.

There have been whispers around league circles that the team would be open to a move but on Thursday morning it became more real.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic revealed that the Rams are open to trading both running back Todd Gurley and wide receiver Brandin Cooks. They’re attempting to “trim salary and restock their draft picks”, per sources.

If Cooks was dealt this offseason, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s been traded in his six-year NFL career.

After three marvelous years with the New Orleans Saints, Brandin was traded to New England for a first and a third in 2017.

Then he spent a single season with the Patriots before being flipped again in 2018 to the Los Angeles Rams for another first-round pick.

Over the last two seasons with the LA Rams, Cooks has seen both career highs and career lows:

2018: 80 receptions for 1,204 yards and five touchdowns.

2019: 42 catches for 583 yards and two touchdowns.

Per Michael Silver of NFL Network, if/when Cooks is traded in 2020 it wouldn’t take a first-round pick this time around.

Cooks is still young (26 years old) and can bring elite speed and playmaking ability to whoever adds him via trade. Brandin has four years left on his contract which averages out to $12.8 million per season and it includes a potential out after 2020.

The reason why the Rams are likely forced to trade Brandin Cooks this offseason is because they’re in salary cap hell. Per Over The Cap, LA has the ninth-lowest cap space available in the league.

On a recent episode of the Stick to Football Podcast, Matt Miller mentioned the NY Jets as a possible landing spot for Cooks that would make sense.

The Jets are desperate for wide receiver help and Cooks would provide an intriguing option that would be a low risk vs high reward kind of move.

A mid-rounder in 2020 or 2021 would likely be enough to entice the Rams into pulling the trigger. Specifically, a conditional fourth or fifth-round pick may just get the job done.

Also for those curious, adding Cooks wouldn’t necessarily preclude the Jets from retaining Robby Anderson this offseason. The team could add both weapons to help out Sam Darnold and this offense in 2020.