Report: Saints may not be allowed to release Brandin Cooks

By Ross Jackson

Even when the New Orleans Saints tried to do a nice thing for a player, they found a way to potentially do too much. 

Many have noticed that, while the expectation was that wide receiver Brandin Cooks would be released, the veteran remains on the roster. Head coach Kellen Moore said that the Saints were still working on a renegotiated contract with the league. The terms of which were already agreed upon by the Saints and Cooks in order to facilitate the transaction. Initially, the assumption was that this was being done in order to make the untimely release a bit more palatable for New Orleans from a salary cap standpoint. 

Now, per Pro Football Talk (PFT), the move may have been with an ulterior motive in mind that might cost the Saints and Cooks their opportunity to part ways cleanly. 

Per PFT, the intent behind the reworked contract was to add a provision in the deal which would activate more than $5 million in guaranteed money into 2026 if Cooks was on a roster on Nov. 21. The purpose, allegedly, being to make Cooks undesirable for a team to claim off of waivers. 

The adjustment would effectively force a team that claims the wideout on waivers to accept a bulk of guaranteed money. Then, once the activation date passed, Cooks would already be clear of waivers with the opportunity to sign with a team of his choosing, a decision which may be premeditated. 

Simply put, the contract move would be made with the intent of creating a deterrent for a team to claim Cooks. The move is not-so-affectionately referred to as a “poison pill” clause. 

Further insinuations include the indication that the Saints, Cooks and the team of Cooks’ choosing may have colluded throughout this process. 

Since, PFT reports that the Saints have made a second, corrective adjustment to the deal to effectively undo the issue. However, because of the current provisions in the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Saints and Cooks may end up prohibited from their previously arranged split. 

This is a fascinating dilemma. If the league decided to let the release go through, the NFL would be actively choosing to be compliant in the team’s circumvention of the waiver wire process. Otherwise, Cooks may be forced to remain in New Orleans through the remainder of the season.