Brandin Cooks appeared to be on the verge of history, but is instead staying put with the Houston Texans.
Cooks will remain a Texan following Tuesdays NFL trade deadline, though NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported there were talks involving him.
Cooks’ name had been bandied about plenty as a contender to be moved ahead of Tuesday, and he does not appear to be pleased to be staying with the 1-5-1 Texans based off a cryptic tweet posted shortly after the deadline passed.
Had the wide receiver been traded, it would have been for a record-tying fourth time in his career. Only Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson has been traded four times in NFL history.
A potential in a Cooks trade could have been his guaranteed salary in 2023. Cooks, who had a guaranteed base salary of $1.16 million this season, is due an $18 million base salary next year.
Cooks did not practice Tuesday due to what head coach Lovie Smith deemed personal reasons and was also listed with a wrist injury. Cooks currently leads the Texans with 32 receptions and 354 receiving yards. The 29-year-old has remarkably posted a 1,000-yard season for each team he’s played for.
Cooks began his career as a first-round pick by the Saints. He was later traded to the New England Patriots in 2017, then to the Los Angeles Rams (2018) and then to the Texans (2020).
Tuesday saw 10 trades completed and 12 players swapped, the most on deadline day in the last 30 years, per NFL Research.
However, there were notables such as Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt, Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers and Cooks who remain with their squads as the deadline has come and gone.
