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

Sep 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook (89) runs with the ball as Washington Redskins defensive end Stephen Paea (90) chases in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Idea of Trading Jared Cook Was Not Going to Happen.

Prior to the 2015 NFL trade deadline on the 3^rd of November, there were multiple reports of the Rams shopping Jared Cook to other teams.

However, head coach Jeff Fisher was quick to dispel such rumors in late October:

"“We take calls all the time… People have interest. That happens all of the time. I have no interest in trading Jared. He’s a big part of our offense… Jared is fine.” – Head Coach Jeff Fisher of the St. Louis Rams"

Sorry, Cook-haters. At least for now, Jared Cook will be in St. Louis until he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2018. Fisher clearly believes that a talent like Jared Cook shouldn’t be traded away, and rightfully so.

Imagine what a Jared Cook trade in 2015 would look like. With tight ends such as Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, and Travis Kelce becoming the prototypical athletes at the position, Cook may have not been as valuable in the market.

Cook hasn’t played consistently well enough to garner a trade for an early round draft pick. The sad truth? Cook wouldn’t have been traded for more than a sixth round pick. So the Rams would be getting rid of a first round talent for a late round draft pick just to get rid of him. That would be unfortunate.

Something else to consider: other teams were probably skeptical about Jared Cook’s contract. By trading for Jared Cook, they would have to pay him about $7 million in base salary per year for three years. That’s a lot of cap space to allocate on a fairly mediocre tight end, especially considering the hefty contracts that franchise quarterbacks are now receiving (e.g. Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins).

If the Rams were actually given a good offer in exchange for Jared Cook, then yes, the Rams probably should’ve pulled the trigger. However, such a hypothetical trade was merely a pipe dream.

Whether you like it or not, trading Jared Cook away  was never an option.

Next: Cook is Unique