The Buffalo Bills and upcoming free agent WR Brandin Cooks were a match made in purgatory last season. Josh Allen finally had a receiver he trusted to get open and get the ball to, despite the fact that Cooks didn't haul in many big ones. Cooks himself found an offense and locker room he was happy to be in.
It wasn't perfect, but that shouldn't be the enemy of good. The 2026 wide receiver free agent market is very thin. Keeping Brandin Cooks could be the wisest move the Bills can make.
4 Reasons the Bills must re-sign WR Brandin Cooks
1. Salary cap compliance
Let's not mince words- The 2026 salary cap situation is less than ideal. The team is presently over $10m over the salary cap, per Spotrac. Buffalo has $32m in dead cap for players in void years, like Joey Bosa, Matt Milano, and Larry Ogunjobi. None of that is going anywhere, barring some miraculous contract work.
One of the best things about Cooks this offseason is his affordability. Retaining him is far easier than figuring out the hoops to jump through to add another overpriced undercontributor. His market value is an estimated $3m, and he's already shown more value than half the Bills roster.
2. Budding chemistry
It may have been out of necessity, but Cooks was building a genuine connection with Josh Allen before the season's end. The pair had shown early that they could work together. With an offseason of work together, installing an offense that Cooks knows from Pete Carmichael Jr. as much as from Joe Brady, there is potential for much more.
It would be a disservice to Josh Allen to remove another competent receiver from his arsenal just to add yet more unknowns to the mix. It would be a disservice to Brandin Cooks to make him end his career somewhere else, again. There is good here, so keep it.
3. Veteran presence
Cooks had a lot to say about Keon Coleman after the season's end, and it was encouraging for everyone. His presence in the room as a veteran and a leader is invaluable.
The Bills have players with experience in Khalil Shakir and Joshua Palmer, but they don't offer what Cooks does. It won't show up on the stat sheet, but the way Cooks handles himself matters. The presence of a true veteran, playing the game with his head as well as his hands, only benefits the room.
4) The lone man-beater
We're forgetting, of course, amongst these positives, that Cooks became Allen's go-to man instantly. It wasn't good faith or desperation, but his ability to get open that won him the chances.
No, he didn't get them all, but no one does. He brought what the Bills needed in their WR room: The ability to beat man coverage. When the lights were bright, Cooks got open.
It's shocking that it needs to be said, but Cooks was the only one doing it. This is not the offseason for free-agent wide receivers. Stick with what we know and find the youngsters in the NFL Draft in April.