Getty Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers looks on and smiles during pregame warmups at Lambeau Field on October 16, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers have been rumored to be seeking a deep threat to open up the offense for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. On Saturday, those rumors were officially confirmed.
Green Bay is among four franchises that have made overtures to the Houston Texans about a trade for ninth-year wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
Multiple teams in the mix for #Texans WR Brandin Cooks: #Rams, #Vikings, #Giants and the #Packers — as a dark horse — have reached out to Houston, sources tell @theScore,” Jordan Schultz reported via Twitter. “Cooks, 29, has recorded six 1k-seasons with 49 TDs. I’m told if moved, he only wants to go to a contender.”
Cooks Pricier, More Proven Than Packers’ Other WR Trade Options
GettyWide receiver Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans catches a pass during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Cooks may be the most prized pass catcher potentially available ahead of the NFL’s November 1 trade deadline due to his proven ability to stretch the field.
The Packers have also been linked to Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos and Chase Claypool of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but neither has the same track record as Cooks, each failing to produce even one season of 1,000 yards receiving through their first two and a half years in the league. What they do have are rookie contracts that would prove much easier for the Packers to absorb and would guarantee a longer marriage between team and player.
Schultz reported earlier this week that the Packers were most interested in a receiver on his first contract. Both Jeudy and Claypool are under contract through 2023, and Green Bay would be capable of keeping each through 2024 if they chose. Cooks is under contract through 2023, though much more expensive at nearly $20 million per season.
Packers Receiver Room Ravaged by Injury This Season
GettyWide receiver Allen Lazard of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on January 22, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Whichever path the Packers choose, it’s vital that it ends in the addition of at least one speedy receiver capable of creating separation down the field.
Green Bay is tied for 17th in the league in passing at just 221 yards per game and scoring just 18.3 points per contest, per ESPN. Rodgers, meanwhile, is gaining just 6.5 yards per passing attempt — the lowest total of his career since 2007, the year before he became the Packers’ full-time starter, per Pro Football Reference.
Those were the numbers the Packers were producing when healthy, an adjective that can no longer be used to describe the team’s receiver room. Allen Lazard has been officially ruled out for his second game of the year, while Randall Cobb is on IR for the next three weeks. Rookie Christian Watson is listed as questionable and could miss his third consecutive contest this weekend.
Other than finances, perhaps the biggest obstacle in securing him is Green Bay’s status as true contenders, considering Cooks’ request to play for such a franchise. Despite earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC in 2021 and breaking the bank to bring Rodgers back and supposedly solidify a defense that has also woefully underperformed this season, the Packers have stumbled precipitously through seven games.
At 3-4, Green Bay faces the AFC-leading Buffalo Bills in a Sunday night road game this weekend. A loss could drop the Packers 3.5 games behind the Minnesota Vikings, a chasm that would be difficult to make up with only nine contests left to play.
There is still a solid chance at earning a Wildcard berth into the playoffs if Green Bay can turn things around quickly, but a quick receiver like Cooks is necessary should the Packers retain any hope of accomplishing that goal.