The New Orleans Saints are 2-8, and looking to make some changes to the roster to get a look at younger players for the 2026 season and beyond. One move to make such a change came with the release of wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported the Saints' intention to release Cooks on Wednesday. But when Cooks appeared on the Saints' injury report, there were questions about whether that report was true. Cooks was going to be released, but not without a fight from the NFL.
Underhill reported that the reason why Cooks' release wasn't approved by the NFL initially was thanks to the league giving New Orleans a hard time over the pay cut Cooks accepted to facilitate his release.
Why Saints' Brandin Cooks' release wasn't approved by the NFL initially
"Not yet," Underhill reported on the Cooks trade. "Sounds like the league is giving them a hard time over approving the pay cut."
The NFL wasn't sending the official roster move through right away, as they were not accepting of the Saints' and Cooks' decision to renegotiate his contract for a pay cut.
With the NFL's lack of approval for the roster move thanks to the pay cut, this transaction was stopped in its tracks. Cooks and the Saints already agreed to the release, but the NFL wasn't as amenable.
But, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Saturday, three days after the initial roster move was reported on by Underhill, the Saints finally officially released Cooks.
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Cooks will have plenty of teams interested in his services this season, and while he's subject to waivers, his contract might make it so he can fall through waivers and become a free agent to choose his destination this season.
Teams like the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and other wide receiver-needy contenders could go after Cooks. He's a 12-year veteran who's played in two Super Bowls and been a steady presence in the league since being drafted in 2014.
But, as Underhill highlighted, this release nearly didn't happen thanks to the NFL's intervention. After some hemming and hawing from the league, Cooks' release was officially granted, and the Saints cut ties with their veteran receiver.
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