New Orleans Saints: Is Brandin Cooks on his way out?
It was just a little blurb; but, the Instagram post Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks posted on Monday has lit up the New Orleans press and the Twitterverse.
The caption on the photo sent out by Brandin Cooks said:
They tell you it’s a business. Well I guess I have to turn into a businessman
In the 49-21 blowout over the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday Cooks had no receptions and wasn’t even targeted by quarterback Drew Brees. Obviously the third-year receiver chose social media to voice his displeasure.
Cooks is currently second on the team in receiving yards (51 catches, 736 yards, 6 TDs) behind rookie phenom Michael Thomas (65 catches, 789 yards, 7 TDs) so jealousy and ego might be at play. But Cooks’ performance has been up and down like this throughout his career in Black and Gold. He’ll have an epic performance one week and disappear the next.
More from Who Dat Dish
Last season it was a debate over his home and away numbers with the home numbers being significantly better. His two worst games in 2016, however, have both been in the Mercedes Benz Superdome: 2 catches for 13 yards against the Falcons and Sunday’s 0-fer against the Rams.
It could be argued that Drew Brees has felt more pressure in the pocket this year. He hasn’t been sacked often but with nagging injuries limiting starting left tackle Terron Armstead Brees certainly seems to get happy feet quicker than he has in the past and, as a result, longer passing plays which take more time to develop and are Brandin Cooks’ bailiwick just aren’t happening as often.
But with the number of receiving options open to Drew Brees it’s inevitable that someone gets left out occasionally.
It’s possible that Cooks isn’t getting as open as Brees would like. But it’s certainly understandable why Cooks would be unhappy following the Rams game.
Taking out your frustrations on social media or demonstrating discontent in general, however, are things Saints Head Coach Sean Payton won’t abide. You can ask Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills and Junior Galette about that.
In a conference call on Wednesday Payton assured reporters that things were okay with Cooks. In his conference call Payton stated,
We’ll keep working it and finding those opportunities for him to get those touches. He’s a fantastic player and a good man and we have a great relationship. It’s hard when you do have a game with a lot of numbers like that and a guy like Brandin, who works his tail off, doesn’t have a target or a touch. Sometimes that can happen, but I would say that’s rare. He’s been explosive this season. He certainly is a primary target for us with what we do.
But coaches don’t give anything away when talking to the media, especially Sean Payton. How Cooks does on Sunday against the Detroit Lions should give fans a signal as to where he is currently with the team.
Against the Lions in 2015 Cooks had 10 receptions for 124 yards and 1 TD. With Michael Thomas having the year he’s having it will be interesting to see if there’s room for Cooks to have that sort of performance in 2016.
But if history is our guide, Cooks’ time with the Saints could be running out. Sean Payton doesn’t tolerate divisiveness or ego before team in the locker room regardless of the level of talent involved.
This article originally appeared on 
