Saints' Brandin Cooks: Expected to remain with Saints

Head coach Sean Payton "absolutely" expects Cooks to be a member of the Saints in the 2017 season, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports.

Analysis:

After he emerged from Week 12 without a target for the first time in his career, Cooks expressed frustration, spurring rumblings within the NFL that he may shopped in the offseason. Having said that, he has one year remaining on his rookie deal, which can become two seasons if the Saints exercise the 2018 option available to former first-round picks. With a March 3 deadline looming, such a decision would seemingly be a no-brainer for a wideout coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns and 17 touchdowns during that span.