Sean Payton Expects Brandin Cooks to Return to Saints, Praises WR

Despite some concerns about his role within the New Orleans Saints offense, Brandin Cooks is apparently not going anywhere.

Saints coach Sean Payton left no room for doubt when asked whether he thinks Cooks will remain with the team in 2017 on Mad Dog Sports Radio.

"Absolutely I do," Payton said, via Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. "And, really, if you really want to cut down to the chase, he's a magnificent kid—a worker, he's not a kid anymore. He's a tremendous player. He practices 100 miles per hour. You have to slow him down some. He's got a great rapport with Drew [Brees]."

Question marks about Cooks' future with the team arose after a Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Rams when he finished with zero targets.

Mike Triplett of ESPN reported a few days later the former first-round pick felt a "growing frustration with his usage." In December, ESPN's Adam Schefter added Cooks could become a trade target in the offseason.

Despite the no-show against the Rams, however, he ended with excellent numbers in his third season. The 23-year-old finished with a team-high 1,173 receiving yards on 78 catches and eight touchdowns, nearly identical to his 2015 season with 84 receptions for 1,138 yards and nine scores.

The concern likely stems from the emergence of Michael Thomas, who led the team with 121 targets during his rookie season. The presence of Willie Snead provides a lot of mouths to feed in one offense. Still, Payton considers Cooks an important part of the team.

"More often than not, a guy like him, you have to get the ball to, and he's explosive," the coach said. "But, I see him playing here."

Cooks has one more year of his rookie contract but the team has until May 3 to exercise an option for 2018.