HOUSTON – For the first time in over three weeks, the media finally heard from Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and he did not bottle up his emotions or give politically correct answers.
Cooks expressed his frustrations about things being handled in the front office through a series of cryptic messages on social media. He was unhappy after the Texans general manager Nick Caserio could not complete a trade with numerous teams that had inquired about his services before the Nov. 1 trade deadline.
“As far as elaborating on that (tweet), look, man, I’m human, I’m frustrated, absolutely,” Cooks told reporters inside the Texans locker room on Thursday. “I want to win. That’s not the case as to what’s going on. That’s the way I expressed my emotion. I think we all want to win. We’re all frustrated in some sense. That’s where I stand with that.”
One of the main reasons the Texans were unable to provide Cooks with a new home was his contract. He signed a two-year extension this past offseason, which gave him $18 million in guaranteed money for the 2023 season.
“Look, I am human, I am frustrated absolutely. I want to win,” said Texans WR Brandin Cooks when asked about the cryptic message he sent out on social media after the NFL trade deadline. #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/DRhbNeQUxf
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) November 10, 2022
Cooks leads the team in receptions (32) and receiving yards (354), but his lack of continuity with second-year quarterback Davis Mills has caused a lot of displeasure from the nine-year veteran.
“For me personally, I just at the end of the day want to win and compete now,” Cooks said. “That’s been my thought process.”
With a record of 1-6-1, Houston is in the midst of a rebuilding process that will take some time for the Texans to put a competitive unit back on the field that will have a chance to make the playoffs. With back-to-back four-win seasons, and the current state of the team in position to have the first selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, Cooks is not interested in being a part of that process.
“I mean at this point in my career I’m not sure if you’re calling this a rebuild,” said Cooks. “I think anyone later in their career wouldn’t want to be part of a rebuild. You work too hard, you want to win. All the work you put in. Obviously, you understand organizations and they all go through that. At the end of the day, I want to win now. That’s always been my thought process.”
Cooks had a different tone during training camp as he shared his views with the media on how he and management (Caserio) were on the same page regarding putting together a winning product on the field. Somewhere during the season, he must have turned that page.
“Training camp, you’re practicing, you’re not playing games,” Cooks explained. “You’re not competing. You’re competing against one another. When the real season starts, as we all know, you’re going against opponents, I just want to win, that’s all I want to do.”
“I think anyone later on in their career wouldn’t necessarily want to be a part of a rebuild process,” said Texans WR Brandin Cooks when I asked his thoughts on being with Houston. Cooks was rumored to be upset near the trade deadline. #Sarge #TexansWire pic.twitter.com/iWSzBkQn7F
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) November 10, 2022
How the Texans and Cooks move forward from this point on will be very interesting. He will return to the field this week against the New York Giants after missing last week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a wrist injury.
His involvement in the offense will be essential for the Texans to succeed against the 6-2 Giants. Still, his lack of production this season has stood out to most fans and analysts, especially when you compare it to his 90 catches for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns from 2021.
“As far as the difference between last year and this year, we wasn’t winning last year, either,” Cooks said. “So, at the end of the day, whatever we can do to win that’s what I want to do. Whatever my role is I’ve got to trust in that.”
