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LA Rams weigh 5 trading partners for WR Brandin Cooks

By Bret Stuter

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Wide receiver Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams runs on to the field for the game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Wide receiver Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams runs on to the field for the game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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LA Rams Brandin Cooks
NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 4: Head Coach Sean McVay talks with Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Cooks Cap Casualty

Right now, Cooks will hit the Rams 2020 salary cap for $16,800,000.  Based on his 2019 production, the Rams truly cannot afford to keep him on the roster.  That means outright cutting him (and suffer the cap hit of doing so), trading him, or restructuring him.  In some cases, the team may simply test the trade market and get what they can in return.

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One of the players we believe has value is WR Brandin Cooks. And we believe that there is a true market for him today in the NFL.  One such team we suggested trading with is that of the Philadelphia Eagles.  In that scenario, the Rams would get WR Alson Jeffery and the Philadelphia Eagles fifth round pick, while the Eagles would walk away with WR Brandin Cooks and the Rams seventh round pick.  In this exchange, the Rams would upgrade a draft pick, shed about $1.4 million in cap space, and land a veteran receiver who competes hard for catches.

But there are other teams in the market for a veteran wide receiver. Let’s examine five teams who could likely be in the market for Cooks in 2020. The criteria is simple – the team must have a documented need at wide receiver, the team must be able to trade a maximum value second round draft pick, and the team must be able to absorb Cooks contract within their current available salary cap.

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