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Katherine Terrell
New Orleans – The open receiver of the New Orleans Saints, Brandin Cooks, believes he still has a lot to offer.
The impulse of cooks to demonstrate that it goes back to when it was selected by the Saints with the number 20 in the 2014 Draft. Now, at the age of 31, that impulse still drives it while heading for its second period in New Orleans after signing a two -year agreement of two years and $ 13 million with the Saints last week.
Cooks played in 10 games last year with the Dallas Cowboys due to a procedure in his right knee that was infected. It ended with 26 trapped for 259 yards, both minimal race.
Cooks said his body feels “incredible” after a season in which seven consecutive games of weeks 5 to 11 were lost due to the infection.
“I’m always investing in my body,” Cooks said. “I get some injections, such as Normenokine, stem cells … I see it as maintenance. They told me that it would be maintenance and an incorrect moment, I suppose. And that happened. And then I had to clean it from the infection.”
Cooks was changed to New England patriots in 2017, only three years after their rookie agreement.
The Saints already sent him a fourth round selection to the Patriots in exchange for the first and third New England round selections. Nueva Orleans used these selections to select Futures All-Pres Ryan Ramczyk and Trey Hendrickson, while the Patriots lost their choice due to punishments with deflate.
Cooks had 1,082 reception yards and seven touchdowns in New England that season and appeared in the defeat of the Super Bowl Lii of the Patriots, but was changed to Los Angeles Rams in 2018, where two seasons spent and appeared in the loss of the Super Bowl Liii of the team. It has been changed four times in total, landing with the Houston Texans in 2020 and then with the cowboys in 2023 until the 2024 season.
Cooks said “don’t regret” about how his first period with the Saints ended. He has always maintained that there was no bad blood between him and the organization, despite his frustration with his role in the offensive towards the end of the 2016 season.
After not obtaining a goal in the victory of the Saints against the Rams in week 12 of the 2016 season, he expressed his desire to be more than a deep threat, and said he felt he had to express his opinion because “the closed mouths do not feed.” Three weeks later, he had seven trapped for 186 yards and two touchdowns against the Arizona cardinals, one of the best games in his career.
Cooks said that after commerce many things were misunderstood, but that he only thanked things about the then coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis in 2017 and beyond.
Cooks was not sure what to expect in free agency. I knew I wanted to play with a team that could improve it with a field marshal in which I believed.
“I say this more, only from a level of trust, not too confident, but I believe what I bring to a team and I was not surprised that Saints and others would like to sign,” Cooks said. “Mickey and I have a lot of respect for each other … everything is part of that … I was young, I was a child at that time and I do not regret anything. I really do not. I have gone and I had a lot of success. They were very successful and it is great that it can point out an example where a bridge is really not burned because obviously if that were the case, they would not call and would not be returning.” “
Because he had never gone through free agency, Cooks was not sure exactly what to expect. I knew I wanted to play with a team that I felt I could do better and with a field marshal in which I believed.
“[Quarterback] Derek [Carr]Someone in whom I really believe, we are in the same class and I think there are some great things that can happen among all of us, “said Cooks.” Obviously, the pieces around them continue to be better and stay healthy. “
The incorporation of Ted Wrath, the new director of Sports Sciences of the Saints, attracted him after his paths crossed with the Rams. Cooks also said that open receiver coach Keith Williams played an important role in his signature.
Williams worked in the state of Fresno when he tried to recruit the 17 -year -old cooks, who chose the state of Oregon.
“I simply believe in his training style, his mentality. He gets the best of his players,” Cooks said. “I have a lot of respect for him, and he is from the same city. So I think it’s a great and unique connection there too.”
When the chefs arrived at the Saints facilities to sign their contract last week, he said he felt a complete circle for him.
“Walking through the halls, it was special, definitely, because the last time, without a wife, without children,” Cooks told ESPN. “This time I also have a wife and children jumping too … it was a great feeling.”
Some things felt relatives when they stopped in their old parking space. Others were completely different: the costume had been renewed after its departure in 2017; The new cafeteria ended in 2024. The defensive wing Cameron Jordan was the only player who was still in the list of the new rookie year.
But with a great contingent of the main office, Cooks said it will be “great” to demonstrate why they were right to sign it again.
“I can see that now it goes through practice, going through the games. The people who were there in the main office when I was there when I was a child, it will be like, ‘wow, there is something true as development and it is actually better than when we had it before.’ I think it’s great, because obviously the more you stay in this league, you learn more, right?
Cooks has no specific objectives in his mind on how long he wants to play or what numbers he wants to present. He said he just wants to work and show that he still has it.
“My goal is to show myself, the world, the caliber player I am … I’m just going to play my best ball in the year 12 and put it on tape,” Cooks said. “I don’t care everyone. It is more likely for myself. As for how long I want to play, I want to play many more years and while I continue to take care of my body and have a great process, I really believe in my heart that I can do that.”
