Don’t give up on St. Louis Rams TE Jared Cook quite yet

Aug 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook (89) is defended by Oakland Raiders cornerback T.J. Carrie (38) in a preseason NFL football game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jared Cook of the St. Louis Rams is a player that fans love to hate. He is notorious for dropping well thrown passes (3 drops in 2015), fumbling the football with a clear path to the endzone, and even shoving his quarterback.

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Ok, so maybe the fans do have a reason to hate on Jared Cook. Many wanted the big man traded for some late round picks, given that a team would even offer such valuable commodities for a freakishly athletic tight end that has yet to reach his full potential at the age of 28. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest Cook fan either. However, I do believe that the Rams cannot give up on Jared Cook just yet.

Jared Cook was a third round draft pick of Jeff Fisher’s Tennessee Titans back in 2009. He only amassed 131 receptions for 1,717 yards and 8 touchdowns in 59 games before his rookie contract ended in 2012.

Then in 2013, Jared Cook decided to reunite with Jeff Fisher on the St. Louis Rams. He signed a five-year back loaded contract with the Rams for $35 million and $16 million guaranteed. Although the base salary of 2013 and 2014 combined for less than $5 million, it has increased to about $21 million over the next three years (2015, 2016, and 2017). In other words, Cook is pretty expensive for being a guy that almost every Rams fan hates.

So let’s take a quick look at Jared Cook’s current tenure with the St. Louis Rams from a statistical standpoint:

In 39 games whilst wearing the blue and gold, Cook has totaled 122 receptions for 1,550 yards and 8 touchdowns. Although these stats aren’t spectacular for a modern NFL receiving tight end, they do show Cook’s improvement as a player since leaving Nashville. However, statistics will probably do nothing in convincing fans that Jared Cook is a player worth keeping going forward. Their hate for the man is too strong. Rather, I will attempt to persuade you—my readers—that it would be wise for the Rams to not pull the plug on the Jared Cook experiment just yet.

Let us begin.

Next: Trading Jared Cook Away?