On November 25, 2025, Brandin Cooks landed in Buffalo — not with a fanfare, not with a trade, but through a quiet, calculated loophole in NFL rules that left fans and front offices stunned. The Buffalo Bills signed the 32-year-old wide receiver after he cleared waivers, ending a bizarre contractual chess match engineered by the New Orleans Saints. The twist? The Saints didn’t just release him — they restructured his deal to make him financially toxic to other teams, then let him go anyway. And somehow, it worked.
The Contract That Broke the Rules
Here’s the thing: NFL rules explicitly forbid teams from altering contracts to manipulate the waiver process. But on November 25, 2025, the New Orleans Saints did exactly that. Brandin Cooks agreed to give up $420,000 in termination pay — money he’d normally get if cut — in exchange for a massive $4.25 million bump in his 2026 guaranteed salary, raising it from $1.69 million to $5.94 million. Why? Because any team claiming him off waivers would inherit the full $5.94 million guarantee, with no offset from the Saints. That’s not just expensive — it’s absurdly so for a 32-year-old receiver who had just 19 catches for 165 yards in 10 games this season.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk called it a "deliberate violation" of league intent. The Saints didn’t just want Cooks gone — they wanted him to slip through the cracks. And it worked. No team bit. Not the Denver Broncos, not the Pittsburgh Steelers, not even the New England Patriots, where head coach Mike Vrabel knows Cooks well from their time in the AFC. So Cooks became a free agent. And the Buffalo Bills, desperate for depth behind Stefon Diggs and Khalil Shakir, pounced.
Why the Saints Did It — And Why the NFL Looked Away
The New Orleans Saints are in full rebuild mode. Their cap space is tighter than a rookie’s playbook. Cooks, signed to a two-year deal on March 24, 2025, was a luxury they could no longer afford — especially with younger talent like Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, and Mason Tipton ready to step up. By restructuring the contract this way, they avoided paying Cooks the $420,000 termination fee, and they dodged the $5.94 million guarantee by cutting him before the 2026 season began. Technically, they didn’t pay it. Legally? The NFL’s rulebook says they shouldn’t have been allowed to engineer this.
But here’s the reality: the league rarely punishes these kinds of moves unless they’re blatant or repeated. Sources tell Pro Football Rumors that while the league office was aware, they chose not to intervene. "It’s a gray area," one insider said. "They didn’t falsify documents. They didn’t lie. They just exploited a gap. And if you’re going to make a rule, you have to enforce it consistently — and the league doesn’t have the bandwidth to chase every loophole."
Cooks’ Career: A Journeyman’s Legacy
Brandin Cooks isn’t the explosive playmaker he was in 2018 with the Rams. But he’s still one of the most reliable targets in the league. Over the past three seasons, he’s had just one drop — a stat CBS Sports highlighted as proof he hasn’t lost his hands. He’s played for six teams in 12 years: drafted by the Saints in 2014, traded to the Patriots, then the Rams, then the Texans, then the Cowboys, and now back to New Orleans — and now Buffalo. His career totals? 729 catches, 9,697 yards, 60 touchdowns. He’s 303 yards away from 10,000. That milestone? It’s within reach.
He’s not the No. 1 guy anymore. But in a playoff race? A veteran who knows how to run precise routes, catch contested balls, and stay healthy? That’s gold. The Buffalo Bills aren’t bringing him in to be the face of their offense. They’re bringing him in to be the guy who makes the third-down conversion when the game’s on the line.
What This Means for the Saints — and the NFL
The New Orleans Saints now have Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, and Mason Tipton as their top three receivers. That’s a youth movement. And it’s exactly what they need. But this move sets a dangerous precedent. If teams can now restructure contracts to intentionally make players unclaimable, what’s to stop another team from doing the same with a rising star? Or a veteran on the verge of a comeback? The NFL’s waiver system was designed to give struggling teams a chance to improve — not to let contenders quietly cherry-pick talent while others pay the price.
For now, the system worked — for Cooks and the Saints. But the league might regret not stepping in. Because next time, it won’t be a 32-year-old veteran. It might be a 24-year-old All-Pro with a $15 million guarantee.
What’s Next?
Expect Cooks to suit up for the Buffalo Bills in their Week 13 matchup against the Miami Dolphins on December 1, 2025. He’ll wear No. 12 — same as he did in New Orleans. And if he catches a touchdown? Don’t be surprised if he points to the sky — not for the Saints, but for the freedom he fought for.
The Saints? They’ll likely file a new contract with Olave soon, locking him in long-term. And the NFL? They’ll probably just watch — again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn’t any team claim Brandin Cooks off waivers?
No team claimed Cooks because the Saints artificially inflated his 2026 guaranteed salary to $5.94 million — far above his actual market value. Any team claiming him would’ve had to pay that full amount, even if they planned to release him shortly after. With Cooks producing only 165 yards in 10 games in 2025, the financial risk outweighed the potential reward, even for playoff contenders like the Broncos and Steelers.
Did the NFL penalize the Saints for this contract maneuver?
No, the NFL did not penalize the Saints. While league rules prohibit contract restructuring specifically to deter waiver claims, the league declined to intervene, citing insufficient evidence of bad faith and the complexity of enforcing such rules consistently. Sources say the league is reviewing the incident but is unlikely to impose fines or draft penalties at this time.
How does this affect Brandin Cooks’ chances of reaching 10,000 career receiving yards?
Cooks needs just 303 more yards to hit 10,000. With the Bills having five regular-season games left and a strong passing offense, he’s on pace to reach the milestone by Week 17. His reliability — just one drop in three seasons — makes him a prime candidate for key third-down snaps, increasing his chances of hitting the mark before the postseason.
Who are the Saints’ new top receivers after Cooks’ departure?
With Cooks gone, the Saints’ top three receivers are Chris Olave (25), Devaughn Vele (27), and Mason Tipton (25). Olave, a 2022 first-round pick, leads the group with 58 receptions for 712 yards this season. The team is shifting toward youth, with Tipton — an undrafted free agent — emerging as a surprise contributor in the slot.
Why did Cooks agree to give up $420,000 in termination pay?
Cooks gave up the termination pay to clear the path to joining a playoff contender. By reducing his immediate payout, he made the Saints’ contract restructuring possible — and ensured he’d become a free agent instead of being stuck on a rebuilding team. He’s betting on his ability to contribute in December and January, with the chance to win a Super Bowl and extend his legacy beyond the stat sheet.
Is this likely to happen again in the NFL?
Yes — and it probably already has. Teams have used similar tactics in the past with veterans on expiring deals. But this is the first time it’s been so transparently engineered and so publicly documented. If the NFL doesn’t clarify its rules soon, expect more teams to exploit this loophole, especially during cap crunches or rebuilds. The waiver system could become less about competitive balance and more about financial engineering.
