Brandin Cooks is set to hit the free agent market for the first time in his 11-year career, following his last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Recently, Cooks spoke with NFL insider Josina Anderson about his future.
While Cooks is excited for free agency and hasn’t ruled out returning to Dallas, he took the opportunity to call out the Cowboys’ coaching staff with a direct message about his usage.
Brandin Cooks Believes Cowboys Didn’t Use Him Properly
The New Orleans Saints selected Cooks in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and he’s since played for five teams. With four trades in his career, the 2025 offseason marks his first opportunity to hit the open market.
Cooks has been a productive receiver throughout his career, surpassing 1,000 yards six times in his 11 seasons. However, his stats have declined over the past three years, with drops in receptions (57, 54, and 26, respectively) and yards (699, 657, and 259, respectively), along with 14 total touchdowns during that stretch.
The 2024 season was a mess for both Cooks and the Cowboys’ offense, which finished 23rd in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Dak Prescott went down midseason, leaving the offense in disarray, while Cooks missed seven games due to a knee infection that developed after Week 5. His lack of production last season gets a pass because of time missed, though Cooks wasn’t his usual productive self in Dallas even when healthy.
With a full season with Prescott in 2023, the 11-year veteran wide receiver hauled in eight touchdowns but wasn’t a focal point of the offense. When Cooks spoke to Anderson, he had a pointed message for the Cowboys’ offensive coaches.
Just spoke with impending free agent #Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks on the phone:
"I'm expecting a good free agency since this is the first time that I would be a free agent in my career, but I'm also open to returning to Dallas. At the end of the day I'm just trying to win. I am… pic.twitter.com/8t3cNw7KXb
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 8, 2025
“I’m expecting a good free agency since this is the first time that I would be a free agent in my career, but I’m also open to returning to Dallas,” Cooks said. “At the end of the day, I’m just trying to win. I am fully healthy and have nothing to hide.”
He was asked about the probability of returning to the Cowboys and responded, “I have a good relationship with Dak, the Jones family, and CeeDee [Lamb], it’s just one of those things where they have to focus on what they have to get done first too.”
The veteran receiver wisely recognized the business side of football in his response, but he finished his statement speaking directly to new head coach Brian Schottenheimer: “I would love to play with the Cowboys — at the same time they would have to use me right. I don’t think they fully used me to my strengths.”
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Schottenheimer was the team’s offensive coordinator during Cooks’ two years in Dallas, and the receiver clearly feels there was a disconnect with how the coaches used him. A reunion is still possible but might not be in the cards for either side after Cooks’ comments.
PFSN’s Ian Cummings predicts the team will fill its receiving need in his latest mock draft, as he has the Cowboys selecting Texas receiver Matthew Golden with the 12th overall pick. Cooks is still a competent receiver and should land with a contender, but his time in Dallas might be over.