Getty ESPN's Dan Graziano has dubbed the Packers candidates to sign a "high-end extension" with star edge rusher Rashan Gary before Week 1 gets underway.
A new trade candidate has emerged for the Green Bay Packers, as only days remain before the window to add to the team’s faltering offense closes for good.
Green Bay is “actively” pursuing a trade for a wide receiver, per a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz on Tuesday, October 25. While Schultz noted that the team prefers a player on a rookie contract for financial reasons, a handful of other possibilities exist.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report on Wednesday updated the website’s trade block big board rankings, placing Houston Texans wideout Brandin Cooks ninth on the list and naming the Packers among the most suitable trade partners for the nine-year veteran.
Teams are interested in Cooks, and it’s not hard to see why. The Houston Texans receiver had 1,000-yard seasons in 2020 and 2021 and is having another solid campaign this year.
Despite playing in Houston’s 25th-ranked passing attack, Cooks has logged 28 receptions, 281 yards and a touchdown. However, the Texans weren’t willing to deal Cooks last season and instead viewed him as a long-term building block.
Cooks would be an ideal fit for the Packers, who continue to struggle with their new-look receiving corps. .
Cooks Would Compete Immediately for Top WR Job With Packers
Getty ImagesWR Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans in action against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Should Cooks land with the Packers prior to the November 1 trade deadline, he would immediately fill the distinction of the team’s most accomplished wide receiver.
Cooks has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in six of the previous eight campaigns, scoring 47 touchdowns and averaging 13.6 yards per reception over the course of his career, per Pro Football Reference.
Cooks is under contract with the Texans for the next two seasons after agreeing to a two-year extension worth nearly $40 million total. His cap hit would be difficult for the Packers to absorb, but the financial pains may well be worth it if Cooks can turn around the season for an offense that is still captained by the two-time reigning MVP in quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Injury, Production Issues Have Necessitated WR Trade for Packers
GettyQB Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers high-fives WR Randall Cobb after a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a game at Raymond James Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Fifth-year pass catcher Allen Lazard, the Packers’ top receiver to this point in the season, missed Wednesday’s practice with a shoulder injury and his status for Green Bay’s Sunday Night Football matchup with the Buffalo Bills remains in serious doubt.
Meanwhile Randall Cobb, the Packers’ No. 2 producer in terms of receiving yards in 2022, is out for at least the next three weeks after the team designated him to IR due to an ankle injury.
If the Packers decide not to go after Cooks and stick to the plan of picking up a receiver on a rookie contract, there are a few quality options available. Former first-round pick Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos is believed to be on the trading block, while Chase Claypool of the Pittsburgh Steelers may also be available.
Jeudy is under contract for the next year and a half, and the Packers would be allowed by NFL rules to exercise a fifth-year option on his deal should they complete a trade for him this season. Claypool is also in the third year of his rookie deal and will play on his rookie contract through the 2023 campaign.