Four of this year’s playoff teams made it to the postseason in their current head coach’s first season with the team, so it’s not impossible for a team to make a quick transition from out of the running to the postseason.
Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks doesn’t sound too confident that the Texans can follow that kind of trajectory after firing Lovie Smith Sunday.
Cooks wanted out of Houston ahead of the trade deadline and missed a game after taking a brief leave from the team when none came to pass. He was stripped of his captain role after returning to the team and he played out the season, but said on Monday that he’s again looking for an exit.
“I’m not going into this offseason thinking I want to be a part of a rebuild. . . . I’m not looking at it as far as being a part of a rebuild, however that looks,” Cooks said, via DJ Bien-Amie of ESPN.com. “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.”
Cooks signed a two-year deal before the 2022 season that includes a guaranteed salary of $18 million for 2023. That was an obstacle to a trade during the season it will likely be a stumbling block again unless Cooks agrees to alter it or the Texans eat some salary in order to make a deal.