/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53553779/615034530.0.jpg)
In a time where there are no shortage of rumors about Brandin Cooks wanting to be traded out of New Orleans, it seems like his Saints teammates have been taking veiled shots at him on social media recently.
It started with fellow Saints wide receiver Willie Snead writing “Why would I leave” in an Instagram post a few days ago.
On Sunday evening, Saints wide receiver Mike Thomas tweeted another potential shot at Cooks.
The jealously will cause people to part ways huh #shhhh
— Mike Thomas (@Cantguardmike) March 5, 2017
Thomas later denied he was throwing shade at Cooks, though, and claimed he was just tweeting out lyrics from a song. But that wouldn’t explain why Thomas did this:
Here are some tweets Mike Thomas has liked about Brandin Cooks since sending out those tweets: #Eagles #Saints https://t.co/qxkm5z1xTF pic.twitter.com/Jhn3ttI7Q7
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) March 6, 2017
Six minutes after the first tweet from Thomas, Cooks tweeted out “Trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers!” before later deleting the message.
It hardly seems everything is fine down in New Orleans. This situation doesn’t seem to have a vibe where Cooks ends up returning to the Saints next season. And the fact that that vibe is present could impact the Saints’ leverage in trade talks. How can they be in a position to demand premium pick(s) for a player who doesn’t want to be there and doesn’t seem very welcomed by his teammates?
Cooks is a very good player so it’s not like any team is going to be able to get him at a low cost. But there are reports out there that his cost could end up being a second round pick (or even lower).
It’ll be interesting to see where Cooks lands. The Eagles are in the mix. We’ll see what happens when 2017 NFL free agency officially begins later this week on Thursday, Mar. 9 at 4:00 PM ET.