LA Rams: Extending Brandin Cooks so soon may have been a mistake

The LA Rams locked down the team’s number one receiver for the next five seasons as Brandin Cooks signed a five-year extension with LA.

The LA Rams made plenty of moves this offseason and secured one of the team’s newest additions for the next five seasons.

Wide receiver Brandin Cooks signed a five-year, $80 million contract extension with the LA Rams after being traded to the team from the New England Patriots.

Cooks’ contract is the third largest among receivers behind DeAndre Hopkins ($81 million) and Mike Evans ($82.5 million). Cooks is also third in receivers in annual salary, making $16 million a season, according to Spotrac.

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Cooks has definitely earned the big payday. Although the young receiver has not been named to a Pro Bowl, he has caught for 1000 yards in each of the last three seasons. At 24 years old, locking Cooks down long-term was the smartest move the Rams could have made.

However, the extension is a bit early and is coming before Cooks has even taken a single snap on the LA Rams. There is always the chance that Cooks does not fit well into Sean McVay’s system and plays far under the $16 million price tag. Allowing him to play first would have solved these issues.

Cooks has been catching passes from arguably the two best quarterbacks in NFL history, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Jared Goff is good but not quite on that level.

But, the chances of that are slim and the Rams obviously wanted to lock down the young, promising receiver as soon as possible.

There is still one storyline lying underneath this signing that every Rams’ fan should be questioning; what is taking so long with Aaron Donald?

Donald and the Rams have failed on multiple occasions to agree to a contract extension. This is extremely scary for the Rams, who are at risk of losing the best defensive player in football after this season.

Granted, contract negotiations are a two-way highway and Donald simply may be asking for too much or may not show a long-term interest in the Rams. But still, the Rams obviously could pony up and pay Cooks the third-best salary for his position. Why can’t the team pay Donald the best salary for his position?

Fletcher Cox is the highest paid defensive tackle, making $102 million over the next seasons. And while Cox is definitely solid, Donald undoubtedly deserves more. Donald has an irreplaceable effect on opposing offenses that deserves a six-year contract in the $120 million range.

While that is a lot to pay a player, the Rams need Donald if the team wants to win a Super Bowl. Pay the man.

Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that Brandin Cooks received the money he has earned and the Rams showed some guts to commit to a young guy long-term.

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However, it still was a bit premature. As great as the contract extension is, it should have been handled after the team handled Aaron Donald.

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