While it’s not exactly something the Jacksonville Jaguars will go around parading about, Nick Foles no longer holds the highest dead cap charge in football. That title now belongs to receiver Brandin Cooks, who the Los Angeles Rams traded to the Houston Texans Thursday and will account for a dead cap hit of just under $21 million.
Cooks, 26, signed a five-year, $81 million contract extension with the Rams back in mid-July of 2018. That contract contained $50.5 million in guarantees. Per Over the Cap, he earned $38.4 million under the extension and will be an $8 million cap hit for the Texans this season.
The bad part about Cooks’ addition is that it gives the Jags’ longtime rivals a new weapon for Deshaun Watson after losing receiver DeAndre Hopkins. While Cooks isn’t as good as Hopkins, he still could cause problems for the Jags who are going through a defensive overhaul and need a corner to start alongside Tre Herndon.
Cooks, a former first-round pick from the 2014 draft class, will enter his tenure in the AFC South with 5,730 career receiving yards and 34 touchdowns. In six seasons he managed to total over 1,000 yards four times, however, he’ll be looking to bounce back from his second-lowest career total after garnering just 583 receiving yards in 2019.
