Saints' Payton would need 'real significant' compensation to trade Brandin Cooks

Payton says the Saints like Cooks and his skill set but know they have needs on defense

One of the big stories to break early on Day 2 of the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine was that the Saints have been exploring trades for wide receiver Brandin Cooks, talking to (possibly among others) the Eagles and Titans about compensation for the speedster.

Cooks has been one of Drew Brees’ top targets during his three-year career, catching 215 passes for 2,861 yards and 20 touchdowns in 42 games while raising his yards per catch every season. The receiver is headed into the final year of his rookie deal, and the Saints have two other high-level receivers in Michael Thomas and Willie Snead, so they might not want to give him a big-money deal. Exploring trade possibilities makes sense, especially given how much help the Saints need defensively.

What would they be looking for in return? Well, lucky for us, John DeShazier of the Saints’ official website spoke to Saints coach Sean Payton about the rumors and asked him about what’s going on here. 

Here’s an excerpt, with some particularly relevant sections highlighted in bold:

JD: One of the hottest rumors going around this combine revolves around Brandin Cooks, and whether the Saints are attempting to trade him or fielding offers. What’s the word?

SP: I saw it this morning. I would say this: It’s not uncommon, at this event, where there’s a lot of discussion in regard to picks, players. I said this before, Brandin is someone we value tremendously in our system. He’s been extremely productive. He’s everything we were wanting when we drafted him. Now, that being said, these news items come up and there are a lot of meetings that take place here. I wouldn’t say he’s on the trade block but certainly when a team calls, a team that’s looking for a receiver -- and we’re looking to improve our defense -- we’re always listening. I know (general manager) Mickey (Loomis) has probably spoken to a handful of GMs or presidents with other teams, but right now I’m comfortable, we’re comfortable with (Cooks) in a Saints uniform. We think the world of him and his skill-set. (Compensation for Cooks) would have to be something real significant. That’s part of being at the Combine, it’s one of the things that takes place here and that news certainly spreads quicker now than it would 10 years ago.

That all seems like pretty standard, “We like this guy but we’re willing to move on if we get the right deal” posturing. Cooks has been productive for the Saints, and they’d surely be happy to continue receiving that production. They just have needs elsewhere, and if Cooks can be used in a way that helps fill them, they’d probably be happy to do that, too.