There were two primary names believed to be possible trade chips for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason: Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks. Gurley was cut, but Cooks remains in Los Angeles.
His Twitter likes and Instagram stories seem to indicate he’d be OK with a trade, but it’d be difficult for the Rams to move him. Not because he doesn’t carry value, but because of the $17.8 million dead cap hit Los Angeles would take on in 2020.
Still, the Rams have reportedly received calls about Cooks and he still could be traded. Peter King of NBC Sports laid out his four best landing spots for Cooks, and in each scenario, the Rams receive no worse than the 80th pick in the upcoming draft.
1 Philadelphia, for the 53rd pick in the draft.
2 Green Bay, for the 62nd pick in the draft.
3 Las Vegas, for the 80th and 121st picks in the draft. (Raiders don’t have a second-rounder.)
4 Washington, for the 66th pick in the draft.
All of those teams would make sense as trade partners for the Rams, but the problem is trading for a player with a concussion history coming off arguably the worst season of his career. Would a team be willing to trade for a player like that, who’s also owed $20 million in the next two years? Probably, but the return may not be as much as the Rams are hoping.
Cooks is still a talented player who had four straight years with at least 1,000 yards receiving prior to 2019, and the Rams won’t get any salary cap relief next season by trading him, which makes it likely that he stays put. Unless Los Angeles gets blown away by an offer, the team should hold onto Cooks for one more year.
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