Brandin Cooks to the Eagles? One NFL Analyst Predicts It Will Happen
While we wait for Yannick Ngakoue to single handily force his way out of Jacksonville and into Philadelphia, another veteran has emerged as a possible target for the Eagles. Peter King has been writing and saying all week, he thinks Philadelphia are a serious potential landing spot for Cooks:
“I think there are a lot of people around the league who think the Rams are going to take a bargain basement deal for Brandin Cooks. And I think the Rams is point is okay come at us…”
As someone who recently bought off-brand Frosted Mini Wheats, I love the words “bargain” and “basement deal”. (If you were wondering, it was not worth the savings those off brand mini wheats taste like cardboard with plaster coated on them). For the Eagles, a bargain deal is the only way in which they would be able to acquire Cooks. They already trade a 3rd and 5th round pick for Darius Slay. The stated goal by the Eagles front office was to get younger this offseason. That can’t happen if they keep offloading draft picks for veteran players.
But why would it only take a bargain deal to acquire someone who’s been as productive as Cooks? Well, if you look at the Rams cap situation, the general outlook of their future, or literally any decision they’ve made over the past few years, you see why. This is a team who is pressed up against the salary cap and will spend FIVE straight seasons. They traded up to get Jared Goff which required firsts. They traded a first for the aforementioned Cooks. And then they traded two more firsts for Jalen Ramsey just for good measure. They have no room for organic growth, and they’ve spent all their money. Their only way out is dumping quality players for mid-round picks for cap relief. Cooks, who is owed $8 million in base salary this season, is a prime candidate to be sacrificed to the Cap Gods.
That $8 million base could be an obstacle for the Eagles as well. Even if they can acquire him on the low like Peter King thinks, they’d still have to pay him a hefty amount which cuts into the cap flexibility they’ve created. Plus, they’ll have to pay Yannick because I’m convinced that guy is just going to flat out show up to NovaCare Complex for Training Camp whether he’s traded or not. On top of that, we still are playing the” should he stay or should he go” game with Alshon. Are the Eagles desperate enough for wide receiver talent that they pull the trigger now and worry about finances later?
Personally, I would like Cooks to publicly beg his team to get rid of him and tank his value for the Eagles benefit much like Darius Slay and Yannick Ngakoue did.