Getty Image / Robin Alam
The Dallas Cowboys have spent the last year looking for a dependable 2nd option at wide receiver to play alongside CeeDee Lamb.
The need arose after they traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for what was seen at the time as not nearly enough compensation.
Today they finally found their replacement for Cooper in a deal that may have been even more lopsided.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys have agreed to a deal with the Houston Texans the will send Brandin Cooks to Dallas in exchange for a 5th-round pick this year and a 6th rounder next year.
Sources: The #Texans are trading WR Brandin Cooks to the #Cowboys for a 5th this year and 6th next year. A big-play threat for Dallas.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 19, 2023
Not only did the Cowboys land Cooks for just about nothing, but they even got a discount on his contract, which was expected to be the thing keeping his value down in trade talks.
As part of the deal, the Cowboys got the Texans to pay $6 million of Cooks’ salary for the 2023 season, leaving them to pay just $12 million for Cooks in his first year with the team.
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks restructured his contract Saturday so that Houston will pay $6 million of his salary this season and the Cowboys now will pay the remaining $12 million, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 19, 2023
This is an absolute steal for the Dallas Cowboys.
For a couple of late picks, they get a receiver who has topped 1000 yards in 6 of the last 8 years while playing for 4 different teams and even managed to hit that number with Davis Mills throwing him the ball in 2021.
Not only do they get a stud receiver, but he’ll also only be the 21st most expensive receiver in the league for them.
The Cowboys got a lot of heat for the Cooper trade last year, but they definitely made up for it by bringing in Cooks at this price.