Last week, the Dallas Cowboys made waves around the league when they chose to trade for former Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks, adding a veteran wide receiver to the team’s passing game led by Dak Prescott. But the trade wasn’t just big for the Cowboys, it was actually historic in NFL history.
As NFL insider Mike Garafolo of The NFL Network points out, Brandin Cooks has now been traded four times in his NFL career, which ties him with Eric Dickerson for the most times traded throughout an NFL career.
“Brandin Cooks has now been traded four times. According to @NFLResearch’s records dating back to 1980, he ties Eric Dickerson for the most times traded all time,” Garafolo said in a tweet this weekend.
Brandin Cooks has now been traded four times. According to @NFLResearch’s records dating back to 1980, he ties Eric Dickerson for the most times traded all time.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 19, 2023
Cook was initially selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, where he played the first three seasons of his NFL career before he was traded to the New England Patriots. After just one season with the Patriots, Cooks was then traded tot he Los Angeles Rams, where he played two seasons. The Rams eventually traded him to the Houston Texans in 2020, where he played until they chose to trade him the Dallas Cowboys last week.
It’s also worth noting that the Saints actually traded up to select Cooks in the 2014 NFL Draft. While that’s not an official “trade” as he did not move from one team to another, he was part of a fifth trade that would make him the most traded player in league history.
It’s probably not exactly the way most players would like to make NFL history, but it is what it is.
