NFL Rumors: Texans WR Could Miss TNF

The Houston Texans surprised many around the NFL by holding onto wide receiver Brandin Cooks at Tuesday's trade deadline, including Cooks himself. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the veteran could miss Thursday Night Football's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles largely due to his frustrations with the team.

#Texans WR (still) Brandin Cooks’ status is up in the air for tonight’s game against the #Eagles after multiple teams — including the #Rams and #Cowboys — couldn’t pull off a trade before Tuesday’s deadline. @gmfb @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/14ksgLqpAj

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 3, 2022

Cooks had been looking forward to joining a contending team for the remainder of the season, but the Texans failed to find a deal that suited them. Cooks has evidently become disgruntled with the team ever since, even allegedly pressing for his release.

Cooks has been one of the lone bright spots on a Texans team that has won nine total games since 2020. He has played his part as a serviceable and reliable number-one wide receiver, hauling in 203 receptions for 2541 yards over that span.

Releasing Cooks would be an outright disaster for the Texans after failing to secure a trade package they deemed adequate. The team signed the wide receiver to a two-year, $39.8 extension this past offseason and would incur massive dead money penalties should they part with him. But if the relationship is beyond reconciling, they may have no choice.

Should Cooks somehow hit the open market, he'd leap to the top of the heap of available free agents. He'd be a perfect fit on a fringe contender in search of a steady pair of hands at wide receiver. The Green Bay Packers or Baltimore Ravens would likely suit him just fine, assuming they can put together a satisfactory contract.

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