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DJ Bien-AimeESPN
HOUSTON — Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks couldn’t care less about a Pro Bowl nod.
“Absolutely don’t,” Cooks told ESPN. “As long as I keep producing at a high level, all that other stuff to make one, it is what it is. Like I always say when we lay this thing down a handful of years from now, because I got a lot left in me, and we put that paper on the table, the numbers speak for themselves.”
During Cooks’ career with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Texans, he’s produced at least one 1,000-yard season with each organization. He’s one of two players in NFL history to achieve 1,000-yard seasons with four different teams along with Brandon Marshall.
But Cooks has never made a Pro Bowl.
“To be honest with you, men lie, women lie, numbers don’t,” Cooks said. “I couldn’t care less about the attention. I truly mean that. My teammates know what I’m putting in, the leadership that I bring to my team, and all that other stuff.”
Cooks is arguably one of the most underrated receivers in NFL history and, based on his resume, there’s a case to be made that Cooks should have netted at least one Pro Bowl berth.
He’s also ranked eleventh all-time in career receiving yards for wideouts who haven’t made a Pro Bowl with 7,917 yards.
In total, the receivers in Cooks’ 2014 NFL draft class (Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., and Allen Robinson II) have earned 18 Pro Bowl selections. But Cooks is third in receiving yards in the group behind Evans and Adams, respectively.
Missing out on Pro Bowl selections used to irritate Cooks in the early portions of his career, as he believed his numbers were comparable and sometimes better than the guys who received the distinction over him.
“Early on it was frustrating, but then once I started to realize, at the end of the day, it’s literally a popularity contest,” Cooks said. “You look at some of those guys that got in, great for them. But when you match up the numbers in that given year, to be honest with you, sometimes it ain’t close, but that’s the nature of this game. It’s the nature of the beast.”
Now, Cooks doesn’t care about the accolades and believes he receives respect from his peers. His primary focus? Trying to help his team win games.
“At the end of the day, as long as I’m producing and helping my team, that’s what I care about,” Cooks said. “I know wassup and those who know, know wassup.”
Source: www.espn.com