Saints reportedly exploring trading Brandin Cooks to Eagles or Titans

New Orleans is looking for draft picks in exchange or to move up in the draft

There’s trade drama brewing at the 2017 NFL combine. The Saints are reportedly exploring a trade that could ship wide receiver and former first-round pick Brandin Cooks out of town.

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the Saints are working on a deal that could potentially send Cooks to either the Eagles or Titans, both of whom are in need of wideout help.

Cooks, drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Saints, has been highly productive the past two years, going over 1,100 yards in both 2015 and ‘16. 

But the Saints have a lot of talent at wide receiver (including 2016 breakout player Michael Thomas) and an excessive amount of talent on offense relative to their talent on defense. 

So what would a potential deal look like? 

According to Mortensen, discussions with the Titans have involved the possibility of Tennessee giving up the No. 18 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft straight up in a swap for Cooks, but there’s also the possibility of the Titans sending No. 5 overall to the Saints in exchange for No. 11 overall and Cooks. 

The former scenario seems like a bit much. Cooks was the 20th pick in 2014, so No. 18 isn’t out of the question, but he only has one year left on his rookie contract (with a fifth-year option that hasn’t been exercised, but must be decided on before May 3), so he’s going to garner a big payday at some point. 

The idea of the Titans looking at No. 11 as an attractive landing spot for a target they covet makes sense, although giving up a top-five pick is also a bit excessive, even if the Titans would be getting a solid selection in exchange. There’s the potential for two quarterbacks to go early and a stud player (Jamal Adams, Jonathan Allen) to fall in their laps at No. 5.

But if they did do the move to get No. 11, there’s a scenario where the Titans could emerge from the first round with Cooks at wide receiver and some combination of defensive players in a draft that is deep with quality talent on that side of the ball. 

The Eagles, presumably, would need to give up their first in exchange for Cooks, which feels a bit steep. The Eagles will have the 14th or 15th pick of the first round, depending on a coin flip with the Colts. Either way, it’s possible that Cooks is on the move and there are a slew of possibilities for where he might land.