Texans' Brandin Cooks: Being Traded 3 Times Not a 'Negative', Means 'I'm Wanted'

With his move to the Houston Texans, Brandin Cooks has now been traded three times in about three years. While this isn't necessarily an ideal career path, the receiver sees it as a good thing. 

"The way that I look at it, I take it as a positive and that I'm wanted, and that I'm valued at a high level still," Cooks said Thursday, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN.

The 26-year-old argued the return in the trades tells a key part of the story.

"You look at all of the trades, they all were for a first-rounder, and this one, going for a second-rounder," Cooks added. "To be honest with you, I'm blessed to be able to go around and play with so many different teams and different quarterbacks and different organizations."

Cooks spent the first three seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints after being taken in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was sent to the New England Patriots in 2017 for a first-round pick as well as a swap of mid-round picks. One year later, he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams along with a fourth-round pick for one first-round and one sixth-round pick.

Earlier this month, the wideout was traded along with a 2022 fourth-round pick to the Houston Texans for a second-rounder.

Each team gave up a lot of draft capital to acquire him, indicating he was clearly wanted at each location.

There is no denying Cooks has been productive during his career, reaching 1,000 yards in four of his six seasons. He has 5,730 receiving yards and 34 touchdowns in the NFL, averaging 65.1 yards per game.

The Patriots and Rams also each reached the Super Bowl in their first years after acquiring the speedster.

Houston will hope for the same, although Cooks is coming off a disappointing 2019 season with a career-low 42 catches and just two touchdowns. His 583 receiving yards were less than half the previous season despite playing 14 games.

The latest change in scenery could provide an opportunity for a bounce-back year, which could be important with zero guaranteed money on his contract following this season, per Spotrac.