Brandin Cooks cleared waivers. What comes next for the ex-Saints WR?

It took longer than anyone expected, but the New Orleans Saints finally finished cutting Brandin Cooks. What comes next after the veteran wide receiver cleared waivers? And what took so long?

Several days passed between the Saints making the decision to waive Cooks and his name formally appearing on the waiver wire. That's because the Saints and Cooks tried to work together to get him where he wanted to go. Initially, the Saints wanted to guarantee all of Cooks' 2026 base salary to discourage other teams from claiming him on waivers -- functioning as a poison pill in his contract. When the NFL blocked that move, Cooks agreed to forfeit his remaining guarantees in 2026 as well as the rest of his guaranteed salary in 2025. Altogether, that's a little more than $2.1 million.

He got his wish. Cooks was waived, not claimed by another team, and now he's a free agent. We'll find out where he's going next soon enough. All of this salary cap maneuvering wouldn't have been done if he didn't have a destination in mind. You'd hope that doesn't lead to a tampering investigation and a penalty on the Saints, but you never know with the NFL. We'll keep an eye on what Cooks has, well, been cooking up. Just in case.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Brandin Cooks cleared waivers. What comes next for the ex-Saints WR?