Getty Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks reacting in the middle of an NFL game.
A former NFL general manager cooked up an interesting possibility that could become a reality this offseason.
Mike Tannenbaum appeared on ESPN’s “Get Up” program on Friday, February 16, and proposed a fascinating player-for-player swap.
Dallas Cowboys receive: linebacker CJ Mosley
New York Jets receive: wide receiver Brandin Cooks
“This really works well for both teams. Look the Jets need outside speed [opposite] of Garrett Wilson with Aaron Rodgers coming back. They have depth in their front seven. The Cowboys desperately need size and speed at middle linebacker,” Tannenbaum explained. “This is really going to help both teams.”
Oh wow…
@RealTannenbaum proposed a very interesting player-for-player trade.
#DallasCowboys receive: LB CJ Mosley
#Jets receive: WR Brandin Cooks
@BartScott57: ‘Hell no’ 🤣
Mike Tannenbaum called this a ‘win-win’ trade + ‘this works really well for both teams.’
Bart…
Former Jets LB Bart Scott Aggressively Pushes Back on Trade Idea
Bart Scott, a former Jets linebacker, was also featured on the “Get Up” panel and repeatedly muttered, “hell no” as Tannenbaum was explaining the rationale for the trade.
“Why would the Jets do that? That is their leader, that is their captain, that is Captain Kirk right there. For Brandin Cooks? I’ll give you that for CeeDee Lamb,” Scott responded. “Brandin Cooks is going to be available anyway.”
Scott argued that there will be a wide array of receiver options for the Jets to comb through this offseason. He also poked fun at Cook’s career saying, “he has been on 20 teams for a reason.”
Since entering the league back in 2014, Cooks has played for five different NFL teams.
“You think I’m going to give up my leader for somebody [like that],” Scott responded. “He is a good player but I’m not giving up my captain when I can go get [Calvin] Ridley, I can go get Gabe Davis. Garrett Wilson is No. 1. I’ll give the Raiders CJ Mosley for Davante Adams. I need a higher-end guy than Brandin Cooks.”
Cooks Would Be an Interesting Option for the Jets
Cooks, 30, has one year left remaining on his $39.7 million contract. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
The former Oregon State product has an incredibly reasonable contract that features a base salary of just $8 million and a $10 million overall cap hit. That figure ranks No. 21 among the highest-paid wideouts in football, per Over The Cap.
Cooks has been traded four times during his NFL career which is tied for the most traded player ever with Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson. If he gets traded one more time he would hold the record all to himself.
Even though he has moved around a lot, the one constant for Cooks has been his production.
In his decade in the league, Cooks has posted six 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Four of those have come on different teams.
The Jets have a bonafide No. 1 wideout in Wilson, but he needs help. Cooks would be a fascinating addition to the Jets receiving corps for the right price.
Over the last two seasons, he hasn’t been able to put up the same production that we’ve grown accustomed to. Cooks had less than 700 receiving yards in both 2022 and 2023.
Perhaps that could lower the potential asking price of the Cowboys via trade if they chose to move him this offseason.