Cowboys trade for Texans WR Brandin Cooks, ties record for most-traded player in NFL history

Brandin Cooks is being traded again.

The Dallas Cowboys announced Sunday that they've acquired the Houston Texans wide receiver for an unnamed return. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys are sending a 2023 fifth-round draft pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick to Houston in exchange for Cooks.

Cooks caught 57 passes for 699 yards and three touchdowns last season. He's a speedy runner, and will pair well with his future teammate WR CeeDee Lamb — especially with WR Michael Gallup currently recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his ankle.

Cooks, a nine-year NFL veteran, wanted to get out of Houston for awhile, requesting a trade in October before the 2022 deadline. After seeing three head coaches in three seasons and the trade of Deshaun Watson, he didn't want to be part of the rebuild. He didn't get his wish then, likely because his contract (he's owed $18 million in 2023) was a little too hefty, and the Texans' asking price was perhaps a little too steep. Now he's headed to a different Texas team that's definitely not in rebuild mode.

How Brandin Cooks made NFL history

In fact, now that the trade has been announced, Cooks has tied the record for most-traded player in NFL history. Before Sunday, he had been traded three times: from the New Orleans Saints (the team that drafted him in 2014 with the 20th overall pick) to the New England Patriots in 2017, from the Patriots to the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, and from the Rams to the Texans in 2020.

Now, with the fourth trade of his career, Cooks has tied retired running back Eric Dickerson for the all-time NFL trade record.