The wide receiver was upset about not being traded by the deadline.
According to a report by ESPN’s Ed Werder, Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks was not at practice again on Thursday for what the team termed as personal reasons and will not play Thursday night vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cooks signed a two-year extension with the Texans in April 2022 for nearly $40 million, with $36 million guaranteed. The deal included a $16 million signing bonus. His $18 million salary for 2023 is fully guaranteed.
Long lauded by the Texans as a team guy, culture guy, and high moral character guy, Cooks showed another side of himself on social media last season when Houston traded RB Mark Ingram to New Orleans.
Following the dismissal of Jack Easterby by the Texans, Cooks seemed to revert to the unhappy camper he showed after the Ingram trade with cryptic social media posts alluding to being unhappy and being treated unfairly.
Cooks was excused from practice for personal reasons on Tuesday ahead of the trade deadline as the team worked to trade him, but no deal materialized. Cooks has expressed his anger with the situation on social media and has since been out of practice for personal reasons.
Now, it has become all but official that Cooks will not play for the Texans tonight, still angry over not being traded, despite the recent contract signing and the team being without injured starter Nico Collins. The Texans will likely have Chris Moore and Phillip Dorsett as its starting receivers for the game.