Saints' Tyler Shough, Kellen Moore React To Brandin Cooks Release

The New Orleans Saints cut ties with Brandin Cooks for the second time on Wednesday.

Cooks was a first-round pick by the Saints way back in 2014. He spent the first three seasons of his career in New Orleans before he was traded to the New England Patriots ahead of the 2017 season. This time, he was waived by the franchise in a "mutually agreed" upon move, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

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On Wednesday afternoon, Saints head coach Kellen Moore gave some more insight into the decision to move on.

The Saints moved on from Brandin Cooks on Wednesday

Sep 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) is tackled by the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"Brandin Cooks, he asked to be released and obviously it took a few days to kind of just go through that process just to make sure it worked for both parties," Moore said in a video clip shared by Jeff Nowak of Audacy Sports. "So, his contract was kind of adjusted just to make it something that benefitted both parties. He was awesome about it.

"Obviously, this is a personal thing and he's been great for us. The way he's handled himself, the way he's helped our team. Those are challenging things, but appreciate everything he's done for us. So, I feel like it's in the best interest of the team moving forward. It'll be good for the Saints and he'll have his plan moving forward so it will all work out."

Nowak also gave a look into rookie quarterback Tyler Shough's reaction as well.

"Tyler Shough on Brandin Cooks’ departure: 'It sucks. It’s hard.' He said, and has mentioned previously, that the two had developed a close relationship this season," Nowak shared on X.

Cooks didn't have a ton of production in the Saints' offense this season. He hauled in 19 catches for 165 yards in 10 games, but this is a guy who is a 12-year NFL veteran leaving the building with the regular season winding down. With the rookie getting comfortable leading the offense, it would've been nice to integrate Cooks into the mix more, especially with Rashid Shaheed gone. But, now the two sides are moving on.

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