At 33, Cooks is well aware he’s running out of opportunities to win a Lombardi Trophy. He’s come painfully close in the past, exiting what was ultimately a high-flying, explosive Super Bowl LII due to a concussion suffered in the second quarter while playing for the New England Patriots. A year later, he returned to the grand stage as a member of the Los Angeles Rams and lost — to the Patriots.

His latest brush with the football gods placed him at the center of heartbreak when Josh Allen‘s soaring pass landed in Cooks’ hands, where he appeared to haul in the reception that would have set up the Bills for a game-winning field goal in overtime. By the time Cooks finished rolling over, the ball was in Ja’Quan McMillian‘s arms, an interception that ended Buffalo’s overtime drive and granted the Broncos a chance to advance.

Denver did. Another season in Buffalo ended without a ring.

Cooks isn’t shy about his desire to return to the Bills, though, because he saw a situation in which he knew he was needed when he joined them late in the 2025 season. That sentiment was obvious when Allen chose Cooks as his target on the fateful play that led to the end of Buffalo’s season.

“I chose Buffalo because of the belief in Josh Allen,” Cooks said. “From afar, you heard the things going on inside the receiver room. In my mind, ‘OK, this was an opportunity where you got guys that can play, but also there’s a niche in there where, if I can come in and do what I have to do, I’m contributing.’ It was the totality of things, but who wouldn’t want to play with Josh Allen?”

Since then, the Bills have added veteran DJ Moore and spent a fourth-round pick on Skyler Bell, resupplying the room with two new options while leaving room to at least entertain reuniting with Cooks.

Veterans report to camps by July 28, leaving Cooks with less than three weeks to determine where he might play in 2026. Cooks has attracted interest from a handful of enticing teams, his agent told The Athletic.

We’ll see if Cooks decides to don yet another new uniform — his seventh of his NFL career — or if the lure of unfinished business wins out.