Connor Cook

Connor Cook

No. 8, 18, 3, 7
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1993-01-29) January 29, 1993 (age 31) Parma Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:	Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
College:	Michigan State (2011–2015)
NFL draft:	2016  / Round: 4 / Pick: 100
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2016–2017) Carolina Panthers (2018)* Cincinnati Bengals (2018)* Detroit Lions (2019)* Houston Roughnecks (2020)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Griese–Brees Quarterback of the Year (2015) Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (2015) First-team All-Big Ten (2015) 2× Second-team All-Big Ten (2013, 2014) Rose Bowl Offensive MVP (2014)
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts: 21 Pass completions: 14 Completion percentage: 66.7 TD–INT: 1–1 Passing yards: 150 Passer rating: 83.4
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Connor Cook (born January 29, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was their starting quarterback from 2013 to 2015. He holds the record for most career wins at Michigan State. Cook was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. After initially serving as the third-string backup to Derek Carr and Matt McGloin, Cook played in his first NFL game in the Raiders' last regular season game of the 2016 NFL season after Carr and McGloin suffered injuries. Following this, he was named the starter for the Raiders' playoff game against the Houston Texans and became the first quarterback in NFL history to make his first career start in a playoff game.

Early years

Cook was born in Parma Heights, Ohio, on January 29, 1993. Cook is from an athletic family: His father, Chris, played football at Indiana; his mother, Donna, played basketball at Cincinnati; and his older sister, Jackie, played basketball at Old Dominion. ^[1] Cook attended Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He was ranked as the nation's 13th best quarterback recruit by Rivals.com. ^[2]

College career

Upon enrolling at Michigan State, Cook was redshirted as a freshman in 2011. He spent the 2012 season as a backup to Andrew Maxwell. ^[3] After Maxwell was benched, Cook helped lead the team to a win in the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, completing four of 11 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. ^[4] Overall, he appeared in three games, completing nine of 17 passes for 94 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He entered the 2013 season as the backup to Maxwell again. After Maxwell struggled, Cook took over as the starter after the first game and remained the starter the rest of the year. ^[5] He led Michigan State to a 34–24 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game and was named MVP after throwing for 304 yards with three touchdowns. ^{[6] [7]} He then led the Spartans to a 24–20 victory over Stanford in the 2014 Rose Bowl. He was named the offensive MVP after throwing for 332 yards and two touchdowns. ^[8] Cook finished the season with 2,755 passing yards and 22 touchdowns.

As a junior in 2014, Cook passed 3,214 yards with 24 touchdowns. He led the Spartans to 2015 Cotton Bowl, where they defeated the higher-ranked Baylor Bears, 42–41. ^[9] As a senior in 2015 Cook led the Spartans to a 16–13 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game and was named MVP for the second time in three years.

The victory in that Big Ten Championship Game earned them a spot in the College Football Playoff (2015 Cotton Bowl), where they lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 38–0. Cook finished the season with 3,131 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, completing 56% of his passes. He won the 2015 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation's outstanding senior or fourth year quarterback. For his career, he completed 673 of 1,170 passes for a school record 9,194 yards with 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

College statistics

Michigan State Spartans
Season	Games			Passing								Rushing
	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2012	3	0	0−0	9	17	52.9	94	5.5	1	1	107.0	4	−3	−0.8	0
2013	14	13	12−1	223	380	58.7	2,755	7.3	22	6	135.5	69	76	1.1	1
2014	13	13	11−2	212	365	58.1	3,214	8.8	24	8	149.4	51	80	1.5	2
2015	13	13	11−2	229	408	56.1	3,131	7.7	24	7	136.6	52	56	1.1	0
Totals [10]	43	39	34−5	673	1,170	57.5	9,194	7.9	71	22	139.8	176	209	1.2	3

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Wonderlic
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	33 in (0.84 m)	9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m)	4.79 s	1.68 s	2.79 s	4.28 s	7.21 s	33 in (0.84 m)	9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)	25 [11]
All values from NFL Combine [12] [13]

Oakland Raiders

Cook was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round with the 100th pick in the 2016 NFL draft. ^[14] He was the seventh quarterback chosen in the draft. ^[15] On May 9, 2016, the Raiders signed Cook to a 4-year, $2.95 million contract with a signing bonus of $619,890. ^[16]

Cook began his rookie season for the Raiders as the third-string quarterback on the depth chart behind starter Derek Carr and second-stringer Matt McGloin. On December 24, 2016, Cook was raised to backup quarterback after Carr suffered a season-ending right fibula injury. On January 1, 2017, Cook made his NFL debut, entering the game late in the first half after starter McGloin suffered a shoulder injury. ^[17] He played for the remainder of the game. In the third quarter, he threw his first NFL touchdown, a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Amari Cooper. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 150 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the Raiders lost to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–6. ^[18] On January 4, Cook was named the starter for the American Football Conference (AFC) Wildcard Game against the Houston Texans. ^[19] McGloin was limited in practice due to his injury but was still active as Cook's backup for the playoff game. ^{[20] [21] [22]} Cook became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to make his first career start in a playoff game. ^{[23] [24]} On January 7, 2017, in the AFC Wildcard Game against the Texans, Cook completed 18 of 45 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions as the Raiders lost 27–14. ^[25] In the loss, he threw his first career postseason touchdown to Andre Holmes in the fourth quarter.

Cook saw no action in 2017 as the third-string quarterback behind Carr and new second-stringer EJ Manuel. He was only active for one game the whole season.

On September 1, 2018, Cook was released after the Raiders traded for A. J. McCarron. ^[26]

Carolina Panthers

On September 6, 2018, Cook was signed to the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers. ^[27] He was released on October 9, 2018. ^[28]

Cincinnati Bengals

Cook was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals to their practice squad on November 5, 2018. ^[29]

Detroit Lions

On January 1, 2019, Cook signed a reserve/future contract with the Detroit Lions. ^[30] In June 2019, the Lions released Cook and signed Quarterback David Fales. ^[31]

Houston Roughnecks

Cook was selected by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL in the 1st round with the second pick of the 2020 XFL Draft. ^{[31] [32]} However, Cook lost the quarterback competition to assigned player P.J. Walker and assumed the backup position. ^[31] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020. ^[33]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Passing								Rushing
		GP	GS	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2016	OAK	1	0	14	21	66.7	150	7.1	1	1	83.4	0	0	0.0	0
Career [34]		1	0	14	21	66.7	150	7.1	1	1	83.4	0	0	0.0	0

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Passing								Rushing
		GP	GS	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2016	OAK	1	1	18	45	40.0	161	3.6	1	3	30.0	0	0	0.0	0
Career		1	1	18	45	40.0	161	3.6	1	3	30.0	0	0	0.0	0

References

1. "Ten things to know about Raiders QB Connor Cook". January 4, 2017.
2. "Connor Cook".
3. "Michigan State backup QB Connor Cook knows he's behind Andrew Maxwell ... for now at least". MLive.com. March 28, 2012.
4. "Michigan State redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Cook emerges in Spartans' 17–16 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl win over TCU". MLive.com. December 30, 2012.
5. "Michigan State to start Connor Cook against South Florida, with Tyler O'Connor as his backup". MLive.com. September 7, 2013.
6. "Big Ten Championship: Michigan State's Connor Cook wants a repeat".
7. "MSU quarterback Connor Cook still hungry after feasting in 2013 - FOX Sports". July 27, 2014.
8. "Michigan State's Connor Cook rebounds from interception, grabs Rose Bowl offensive MVP". January 2, 2014.
9. "Michigan State vs. Baylor - Game Recap - January 1, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
10. "Connor Cook". www.sports-reference.com. USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
11. McGinn, Bob (April 20, 2016). "Rating the NFL draft prospects: Quarterbacks". JSOnline.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
12. "Connor Cook Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". National Football League.
13. "Connor Cook, Michigan State, QB, 2016 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
14. "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
15. "Raiders help kick off fourth round with pick of Connor Cook". espn.com. April 30, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
16. "Spotrac.com: Connor Cook contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
17. Paskal, Eddie (January 1, 2017). "Oakland Raiders Wrap Up Regular Season With 24-6 Loss To Denver Broncos". raiders.com. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
18. Gutierrez, Paul (January 1, 2017). "Rookie QB Connor Cook takes over for Matt McGloin in Raiders' loss". espn.com. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
19. "Raiders Announce Connor Cook To Start Playoff Game Vs. Texans". sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com. Associated Press. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
20. "Matt McGloin expected to be active as backup". nfl.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
21. "With Matt McGloin Available, Raiders Decide to Stick With Connor Cook". The New York Times . Associated Press. January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
22. DaSilva, Cameron (January 8, 2017). "Raiders coach Jack Del Rio admits he considered benching Connor Cook". foxsports.com. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
23. Orr, Connor (January 3, 2017). "Raiders expected to start Connor Cook vs. Texans". nfl.com. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
24. Gutierrez, Paul (January 4, 2017). "Raiders' Connor Cook to make first career start Saturday vs. Texans". ESPN.
25. "NFL Game Center: Week 18-2016: Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans". NFL.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
26. "Oakland Raiders announce roster transactions - 9.1.18". Raiders.com. September 1, 2018.
27. "Panthers sign Connor Cook to practice squad". Panthers.com. September 6, 2018.
28. "Panthers add LB Brandon Chubb to practice squad". Panthers.com. October 9, 2018.
29. Staszewski, Joseph (November 5, 2018). "Things keep getting worse for Christian Hackenberg". NYPost.com.
30. "Matthew Stafford's new backup: Detroit Lions sign ex-MSU QB Connor Cook". Freep.com. January 1, 2019.
31. Raven, Benjamin (February 6, 2020). "Connor Cook reportedly loses QB competition for XFL's Houston Roughnecks". MLive Detroit. Mlive Media Group. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
32. Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News . Retrieved October 22, 2019.
33. Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
34. "Connor Cook". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 1, 2017.

External links

• American Football portal

• Michigan State Spartans bio