Los Angeles Rams: 3 Reasons trading Brandin Cooks was a smart move

– Saves money

While the Rams might have some dead money now with the decisions to move on from Cooks and Gurley, they have freed up some money in the long-term. With a history of concussions now, Cooks is, unfortunately, a bit of a liability.

Head injuries are very serious, and despite being just 26-years-old, Cooks has had multiple concussions, which is very scary in this day and age. The decision to sign Cooks at the time for the Rams did make sense. He was coming off some great seasons with the Patriots, Saints, and the Rams, but last year was not a good one for Cooks.

If they are truly worried about what type of player Cooks can be moving forward, this move made sense for Los Angeles. Cooks will be making $8 million in 2020, and then it will jump to $12 million per year for the rest of the contract.

With his ability being a bit of a question mark right now with a down season and concussion issues, this is a risky move for the Texans, but a smart one by the Rams. Even though trading Cooks makes the contract that he just recently signed look like a bad move, they were able to adjust and fix it quickly.