The move itself had moved far away from being shocking to a forgone conclusion after the first day of free agency had run its course. What wasn’t apparent to Saints fans then, but is blindingly obvious now, was that the one day difference made ALL the difference. There were numerous reports over the last couple of weeks that multiple teams had expressed interest in the Brandin Cooks, and that the Saints were determined to get the most out of the deal. Unfortunately for the Saints while it is true you miss every shot you don’t take, you do also have to pay attention to the shot clock. What do I mean by that? Well let’s take a look at how we got here, giving up a top 10 wide receiver (yes, he is) AND a 4th round pick for the 32nd pick and a 3rd round pick.
What was he worth:
Different people, different reports, different valuations so its difficult to assign a true value to Cooks. The reality is that in any unregulated market the true ‘value’ of any commodity (and for better or worse in sports players are seen as property or ‘assets’ more than anything) is whatever someone is willing to give up to get it. That means that Brandin Cooks value was entirely dependent on who wanted him, how bad, and how many others wanted him. The best case scenario for the Saints was always to initiate a bidding war, but there is a risk to that approach. There were many reports throughout the last few weeks and while none were ever fully substantiated, they all established and supported the narrative that at least at one point Cooks value was worth at least a mid 1st round pick. With both the Titans and Eagles reportedly interested at one point it is VERY likely that the Saints were at least offered the 18th and/or 14th picks in some capacity in the draft at one point.
However, we also have multiple reports, and even statements from Sean Payton himself saying the Saints intention was only to trade Cooks if they got a GREAT offer. Considering what it cost to draft him as well as his value as a young and extremely productive veteran it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect equal return, and to try to get better than that. So long as a bidding war could get started the Saints were practically assured to come out a head.
The best part was that there was legit value. This wasn’t something like Meachem or Deion Branch where the player was a product of the system and the quarterback far more than a difference maker on their own. Cooks proved to be extremely productive the last two years and showed enough versatility and explosiveness to be valuable on any team in the league. His skillset translates anywhere, not perfectly, but it translates and that matters. What stands against him is the fact that he is also more of a specialist than he would like to admit, there is a difference between being effective at everything, and being great at it. That’s the difference between asking for multiple assets for a very good player, and demanding it for a great one. Cooks for all his value was still a player that you ‘asked’ for, not demanded.
At the end of the day time will tell, but the fact is that at this point in the process the Saints had to make a move and I believe they made the best move that was available to them….at the time.
