2022 was a tough season for Houston Texas veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Houston did finish the season on a high note, defeating the Indianapolis Colts 32-31. It was their second win in three games, giving them a record of 3-13-1 on the season. However, that last season surge did end up costing them the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
While ownership would never admit that, it feels as if that played a part in Lovie Smith being used as the scapegoat and being fired hours after the season ended. Smith is the second head coach in a row that Houston has fired after one season as David Culley had the same fate following the 2021 season.
It is an embarrassing precedent being set by the Texans, who have dug themselves a hole that will be difficult to climb out of. Coaches aren’t going to want to take that job knowing they could be fired after one season.
Also, they have rubbed plenty of veterans, such as Brandin Cooks, the wrong way in recent years. Cooks has had enough of it, as he made his feelings clear after Smith was fired.
“I’m not going into this offseason thinking I want to be a part of a rebuild,” Cooks said Monday. “I’m not looking at it as far as being a part of a rebuild, however that looks. That’s why I trust my camp and my representation to be able to get a map from here to there and to see what that looks like to be a part of something that has a trusted plan.”
Brandin Cooks led the team with 57 receptions for 699 yards in 2022, adding three touchdowns. He is planning to meet with the franchise soon to discuss the best course of action will be going forward.
Before the season, he did sign a two-year extension with the team, so he knew what he was getting himself into. However, things seemed to have changed over the course of the year, which led to him requesting a trade at one point. That was a seemingly impossible task given how much money he was owed and the asking price that Houston set on him.
Cooks voiced his frustrations at not being traded as well, as he was fed up with how things were being handled in Houston. He let his feelings be known on Twitter.
At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Cooks will not be with the franchise next season. Whether it is via trade or he is released, the nine-year veteran looks to have played his final snaps in a Texans uniform.
