Saints Deny Rumors That Brandin Cooks Might Be Traded

Rumors started to swirl when wide receiver Brandin Cooks seemed unhappy about his role in the Saints offense.

After he wasn't targeted at all during the Saints 49-21 win over the Rams, Cooks admitted that he was frustrated. This caused a stir that he might be looking for an out.

After the loss to the Lions, Sean Payton acknowledged the rumors of Cooks being traded in the off season in his post game press conference, saying that they are "garbage," and a "false report."

Cooks led the team with 9 targets, and 7 catches for 73 yards against the Lions.

Here's what he had to say about the Rams game:

"I wouldn't say I was disappointed. I wouldn't say I was frustrated. I wouldn't say any of those things," Cooks said. "I would just say it's the game, and those things happen. Sometimes things come out. The good thing is I've got teammates who know who I am and know that it wasn't coming from a selfish standpoint or anything like that, and like I stated earlier in the week, it's coming from the want to be great. I think they understand that. I think our coaches understand that. I think we're on the same page with that."

Cooks also got a call from someone who knows all too well how the Saints offense works. Former wide receiver Marques Colston, who was in town over the weekend as the Saints 50 team was being honored, reached out to Brandin Cooks.

Colston, who was released early this year, spent time getting to know Brandin Cooks after he was drafted in 2014, and Colston was the established veteran.

"When you have so much talent and so many weapons, the ball gets spread around a ton," Colston said. "That’s part of what makes the offense successful. It’s tough at times."

The call wasn't out of the blue, though.

"It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary," Colston said. "We stay in touch. We built a relationship over two years. He’s a guy I've got a ton of respect for, and we just developed a friendship."

Cooks definitely appreciated Colston reaching out.

"That means a lot," Cooks said. "From a guy that's played here for a long time and did it at a high level, for him to reach out to me and give me the understanding that there will be situations like that, it meant a lot."