The Buffalo Bills faced a ton of criticism when they didn’t add any wide receiver help at the trade deadline. There were two notable wide receiver moves that Brandon Beane made after the trade deadline; signing Mecole Hardman Jr. and then eventually signing Brandin Cooks.
Signing Hardman didn’t provide much impact for the Bills. When it came to Cooks, there was a little bit of an impact, especially in the first round of the playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Bills were down 24-20 as the 4th quarter started to wind down and heading into the 2-minute warning, Cooks caught a huge 36-yard pass from Josh Allen to put the Bills in scoring position. Eventually, Allen managed to get the Bills into the endzone and then Buffalo’s defense picked off Trevor Lawrence to seal the game.
However, Cooks’ major highlight with the Bills came in the next round against the Denver Broncos when Cooks was part of a controversial play where he caught a pass from Allen, but then Ja’Quan McMillian somehow came away with the ball, even though Cooks had possession of the ball coming down to the field. That was the ultimate turning point of the game that led to the Broncos winning in overtime, 33-30.
That play essentially ended Buffalo’s season, and it ended Cooks’ tenure with the Bills as he had only signed with the team for the remainder of the season. He is now a free agent, but he may not be for long.
Brandin Cooks gives his stance on his plans for 2026 season
According to SiriusXMNFL Host Zig Fracassi, Cooks was asked by both Fracassi and Ryan Harris on whether or not he would be on the field in 2026, and Cooks replied “no doubt.”
When asked on @SiriusXMNFL if he'll be on the field in 2026, FA WR Brandin Cooks told @RyanHarris_68 & me "no doubt." Cooks added he will probably sign before training camp, without divulging any details, saying he could not "go out like that," referring to that controversial…
— Zig Fracassi (@ZigSportsVoice) June 1, 2026
Last season between the Saints and the Bills, Cooks finished with 279 yards but failed to reach the endzone. When he was with the Saints, the quarterback situation wasn’t the best, and he also was having to compete with Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson for targets. After being released by the Saints, he signed with the Bills.
Coming into the offense late in November which included him playing right away, it’s tough to learn an offense so quickly. He never really had the chance to learn the playbook from front to end and the chemistry between him and Allen never had the time to develop over time.
If Buffalo liked what they saw from Cooks in a small sample size of games, it would make sense for the Bills to bring him back for another year and give him the chance to fully learn the offense during training camp.
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