In four games this season, Jets QB Brady Cook has battled and grown. 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.
Dining and Cooking