Saints reunite with former 1,000-yard receiver

The New Orleans Saints are reuniting with a player who used to be one of the focal points of their offense.

Veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks has agreed to a deal to return to the Saints, the team announced on Friday. The contract is reportedly worth $13 million over two years.

Cooks spent the last two years with the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 10 games last season and had 26 catches for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Saints drafted Cooks in the first round (20th overall) out of Oregon State in 2014. Cooks quickly became one of Drew Brees’ favorite targets in Sean Payton’s high-powered offense.

Cooks had three consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards in New Orleans from 2015-2017. He kept that streak going after he was traded to the New England Patriots in 2017. The Patriots traded Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams after one season, and he eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark again in L.A.

The 31-year-old Cooks has since had two more 1,000-yard seasons with the Houston Texans in 2020 and 2021, giving him six total for his career. Cooks has found success with multiple teams in numerous different offenses.

While Cooks is not nearly as explosive as he was in his first stint with the Saints, he will have an opportunity to compete for the No. 2 wide receiver job behind Chris Olave.