Brandin Cooks Still Insists It Was a Catch, and That Play Helped Get Sean McDermott Fired

Brandin Cooks hasn’t let it go. And honestly, can you blame him?

The play in question happened back in January, during the AFC Divisional Round. The Bills and Broncos were tied in overtime. Josh Allen dropped back and fired a deep strike to Cooks near midfield. It looked like the kind of catch that would set up a game-winning field goal. Instead, Denver cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian ripped the ball away at the last second. Interception. Broncos ball. Denver drove down and won the game a few plays later.

That moment didn’t just end Buffalo’s season. It ended Sean McDermott’s tenure as head coach. The Bills fired McDermott after the season, and the loss to Denver was repeatedly cited as a breaking point. After seven years, four playoff appearances, and zero Super Bowl trips, the organization decided it was time for a change. Joe Brady took over as head coach in February.

Cooks, currently a free agent, sat down with The Athletic and talked about the play that might define his career whether he likes it or not. He hasn’t changed his mind about what happened.

“I will continue to process it until I get back on the field,” Cooks said. “But I think the biggest thing I can say is that I still feel like it was a catch.”

He went on to say he watched some of the other playoff games and saw catches being ruled complete that looked a lot like his own. That’s when he stopped watching entirely.

“After it happened, seeing some of the so-called controversial calls that were a catch, I just had to turn off the playoffs because I’m like, ‘Yo, what is going on?’”

The NFL has never clarified or apologized for the Cooks call. The league just moved on, the same way the Bills moved on from McDermott.

What’s next for Brandin Cooks

Cooks is 32 years old and has played for six different teams. He started his career with the Saints, then went to the Patriots, Rams, Texans, Cowboys, and finally the Bills. Seven teams if you count his second stint in New Orleans. The guy has been a reliable intermediate threat everywhere he’s gone. He’s not a burner anymore, but he’s smart and he knows how to find open space.

He said he plans to sign with a team before training camp starts. There are plenty of receiver-needy teams out there. The Chargers could use some veteran depth. The Chiefs are always looking for another option behind Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce. Even the Broncos, the team that ended his season, might be a fit.

That assumes the Broncos would want him. And that he’d want them.

Either way, Cooks is still processing that play. And as long as he can’t get a straight answer on why it wasn’t called a catch, he probably won’t stop anytime soon.