Texans GM Nick Caserio bought flexibility with the Brandin Cooks extension

The Houston Texans made headlines once again across the NFL. This time, instead of a league altering trade, it was due to an extension for star wideout Brandin Cooks.

Since arriving in Houston during the 2020 offseason, all Cooks has done is produce for the Texans. He had 1,150 yards and six touchdowns during a historic season for former quarterback Deshaun Watson and somehow repeated the performance in 2021 with 1,037 yards and six touchdowns playing with Davis Mills and Tyrod Taylor the past season.

For a team relatively devoid of offensive weapons, the Cooks extension is a welcome one for Houston. The 28-year-old wideout’s extension will keep him in Houston through the 2024 season and offers $39 million in guaranteed money. Cooks will receive roughly $19.5 million per year which firmly places him in the top-10 highest compensated wideouts in the NFL.

General manager Nick Caserio should be heaving a sigh of relief. Cooks is the second talented player that has committed to staying through the team’s current rebuild, following the commitment of left tackle Laremy Tunsil just a month ago.

The Texans have over $100 million in cap space next season and it’s good to see that the general manager isn’t afraid to dip into that in order to retain talented players on the roster. If Houston wants to win games they’ll need more talent, and Cooks goes a long way towards helping that issue.

His extended presence on the roster opens up options in the draft for Houston. They will need another receiver presence in 2022 to play alongside No. 13 and Nico Collins but now they aren’t forced to make a selection in the first round. If Houston isn’t happy with the receivers available at 13th overall, courtesy of Cleveland, they can delay and wait until 37th (Round 2), 68th or even 80th overall (Round 3).

In the first round, names such as Garrett Wilson from Ohio State, Drake London from USC, and Jameson Williams are the major headliners. If the team waited, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson, Georgia’s George Pickens, and Alabama’s John Metchie are potential targets to help booster one of the league’s shallowest receiving rooms.

Regardless of the draft, this signing should also be a huge boost for second year quarterback Davis Mills. Today’s NFL is built to help elite receivers and the team is doing their signal caller a great service by making sure he’ll have one of the most consistent in the league.

Between talent and team culture, this signing was clearly a big priority for Caserio and coach Lovie Smith, and it gives them flexibility when the draft arrives April 28th.

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