[4] He originally committed to play college football at the UCLA but changed to Oregon State University.

[19] The combination of Cooks and Markus Wheaton created one of the most dynamic receiving duos in college football and Oregon State history.

His 232 receiving yards were the second-most in a game in school history, behind Mike Hass's 293 against Boise State in 2004.

[38][39] His 128 receptions shattered the school single-season record, previously held by James Rodgers and Markus Wheaton with 91 each.

[44] Cooks and quarterback Sean Mannion teamed up for 23 receiving touchdowns over their careers, a school record for a quarterback-receiver tandem.

He earned a second-place finish in the 60-meter dash at the 2012 UW Invitational, clocking a personal-best time of 6.81 seconds.

[59] In his first NFL game, Cooks caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown and had an 18-yard rush in a 37–34 overtime road loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

[75] In Weeks 15 and 16 combined, Cooks had 15 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars.

[80] He lived up to the pre-season hype when he had six receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns and an 11-yard rush during the season-opening 35–34 loss against the Oakland Raiders.

He caught a 98-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to set the Saints' franchise record for the longest play from scrimmage.

[81] Cooks, along with Willie Snead IV and rookie Michael Thomas, finished the day with 373 receiving yards combined, the most ever by a New Orleans trio in a loss.

[83] After a Week 12 49–21 win over the Los Angeles Rams, in which he was not targeted for a single pass,[84] Cooks voiced his frustration by saying, "Closed mouths don't get fed.

[87] Cooks finished the 2016 season catching 78 receptions for a then career-high in receiving yards with 1,173 and eight touchdowns in 16 games and 12 starts.

Following his trade to the Rams, Saints' starting receiver Michael Thomas instigated an online feud with Cooks out of anger for his departure from New Orleans.

[113][114] In the next game against the Seattle Seahawks, he had another great outing, catching ten passes for 100 yards and rushing for a nine-yard touchdown in a 36–31 victory.

[115] During Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Cooks caught eight passes for 107 yards in the narrow 54–51 victory.

In one of the highest-scoring back-and-forth games in NFL history, Cooks helped convert a key first down on a 22-yard reception on the drive that put the Rams up for good.

[117] In the process, Cooks became the first player in NFL history with 1,000 receiving yards in three consecutive seasons with three different teams.

[118] Cooks finished the regular season with 80 receptions for a career-high 1,204 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games and starts.

[120] In the Divisional Round against the Dallas Cowboys, Cooks recorded four catches for 65 yards and a five-yard rush in a 30–22 victory.

[121] In the NFC Championship Game against the Saints, Cooks had seven receptions for 107 yards in a 26–23 overtime road victory to reach Super Bowl LIII.

[122] It was his second straight Super Bowl appearance and the Rams faced off against Cooks' former team, the Patriots.

On the first attempt, Cooks was wide open in the endzone and the play was broken up by Jason McCourty at the end.

The last occurred on the next play when Goff threw a pressured pass to Cooks that ended up being under thrown and picked off by Stephon Gilmore.

[126][127] In Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, Cooks caught eight passes for 112 yards and had an eight-yard rush in the 20–13 road victory on NBC Sunday Night Football.

[128] During a narrow Week 5 30–29 road loss against the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football, Cooks had to leave the game to be evaluated for a concussion.

[129][130] Three weeks later against the Bengals in London, he suffered a concussion after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jessie Bates during the first quarter.

[141][142] He joined Brandon Marshall as the only players in NFL history to record a 1,000-yard receiving season with four different teams.

He finished the season as the team's leading receiver in all major statistical categories, recording a career-high 90 catches with 1,037 yards and six touchdowns.

[163] He followed big plays in the 2016 season with a bow-and-arrow motion, referencing a Bible verse in which a boy named Ishmael used his archery skills to survive in the desert after he nearly died there without water.