It’s true. The Houston Texans are open to trading 29-year-old wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who’s also hoping to go to a contending team ahead of the Nov. 1 NFL trade deadline.

For any team hoping to add another playmaker to their passing offense, seeing how productive Cooks has been in each of his three stops playing in different scoring attacks has to be exciting. Yet, the Texans also like the fact that Cooks provides young quarterback Davis Mills with a reliable option who can consistently get open.

In other words, they’re not going to just give Cooks away simply because they’re not in a position to succeed in 2022. Cooks is still under contract for the next two seasons, even if his salary is a bit inflated.

Even then, any franchise hoping to add a spark ahead of the deadline would be foolish to ignore the thought of adding the six-time 1,000-yard receiver in 2022. Cooks has a $9.7 million cap hit this season, which jumps to $26M and $24M in the next two years.

For many teams, adding just under $10 million to their immediate cap sheet isn’t much of an issue. Contract restructures are always an option, especially if the chance to win a Super Bowl is actually on the table.

While we’re far from February, the urgency of trying to improve now is very much alive due to the impending trade deadline. This means teams such as the Los Angeles Rams, if they want to copy last year’s ‘F them picks’ approach, they need to strike now.

In fact, the Rams are a team that’s been mentioned to bring Cooks back to the team before Tuesday’s 4 PM ET deadline.