playESPNMultiple AuthorsSep 22, 2026, 06:03 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsFree agent wide receiver Brandin Cooks is signing with the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad, initially to get up to speed for games, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.Cooks, 32, joins a Niners team that has lost wideouts Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson to injury this season. Meanwhile, veteran wide receiver Mike Evans will need to be managed this week with a hip injury.Cooks was the 20th pick in the 2014 draft by the Saints out of Oregon State, and he spent the first three years of his career with New Orleans. He returned to the Saints in 2025 but was waived in November after he requested his release. Cooks then joined the Buffalo Bills for the remainder of the campaign.Cooks was part of a controversial call that ultimately played a large role in ending the Bills’ season.
In a divisional round playoff game at the Denver Broncos, a downfield pass from quarterback Josh Allen in overtime appeared to be initially caught by Cooks, but the ball was then taken away as Cooks came to the ground. The play was ultimately ruled an interception by Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. The Bills never got the ball back, and then-coach Sean McDermott loudly expressed his displeasure in the officiating process after the game.Cooks also has played for the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys. He has competed in two Super Bowls — LII and LIII, with the Patriots and the Rams — losing both.He has 734 career receptions for 9,811 yards and 62 total touchdowns in 12 seasons.
