In four games this season, Jets QB Brady Cook has taken a licking, but has kept on ticking. That will continue in Sunday's season finale at Buffalo as the undrafted free agent out of Missouri seeks his first win in the NFL in his fourth start.
"I'm grateful for it, because any opportunity in this league is a great one that we have," Cook said on New Year's Eve. "On this week, we're going to Buffalo, and I look forward to putting a good product out on the field and balling out with these guys one last game this year."
After going undrafted last April, Cook's first professional season began on the Jets' practice squad. Then with Justin Fields on injured reserve, Cook was elevated to the active roster as Tyrod Taylor's backup for the Week 14 game against Miami. When Taylor sustained a groin injury, No. 4 trotted onto the MetLife Stadium field with the unenviable task of taking over with his team trailing by 21-0.
"I've learned a lot from a quarterback perspective, from a leader perspective, being on this team and in starting games for the first time," Cook, 24, said. "And you know, I've learned that it is still football, it's still the game that we've played our entire life. It's a kids' game. It's a complicated one, it's imperfect, but it's the game we love, and you still got to have fun doing it. And that's ... I think that's kind of the message this week is, let's go have fun. Let's go have fun playing football, and let's execute and let's go see what we can do this last game."
The Bills (11-5) are headed to the playoffs after facing the Jets (3-13) in the final regular season game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. Cook has tried his best in difficult circumstances -- in his four games before Sunday he and the Jets' offense have faced uphill battles playing from behind.
HC Aaron Glenn, when asked who would be his starter against Buffalo, answered quickly: "I want to give him [Cook] another chance to go out there and play. He gives us the best chance to win." He added: "He still has another game left, so we'll see what happens with this game and see how he operates."
Through his four appearances, Cook has thrown a TD pass (to WR Adonai Mitchell) and 7 interceptions as he's tried to propel the Jets back into what turned out to be four lopsided losses. He's been under intense pressure from opposing defenses that have stacked the box and sacked him more than a dozen times while he has hit on 77-of-131 passes (58.8%). It's been a tough learning experience.
"Not a ton of big surprises getting to watch the first 15, 16 weeks of the season," Cook said. "So I got a lot of those surprises out of the way. And then obviously you got to feel it and do it for the first time. And I think the biggest thing is probably just the speed and the way guys close space and really how the defense attacks the ball in the run game, in the pass game, that is definitely impressive how defenses have attacked the ball. Those are kind of some of the biggest takeaways I'd say."
Regardless of the outcome of Sunday's game, Cook will come away with new experiences and new relationships.
"Enjoying the process of it, enjoying the weeks of prep, enjoying it with your teammates," he said. "You know, we spend a lot of time together here [the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center], so enjoying that. And I think this Sunday, we're going to enjoy some more moments on the field. For sure."
