MOBILE, Ala. - Raiders coach Jon Gruden offered a positive view on the status of tight end Jared Cook who is now a free agent.
"I had a good meeting with Jared before he left," Gruden said, "and we'll do the best we can to get him back. It will be competitive. I'm sure there are a lot of teams who look at the tape and put him on their wish list."
Cook caught a career-high 68 of his 101 targets for 896 yards and six touchdowns. His 67.6 catch percentage was also a career-high.
Cook recorded four 100-yard games in his 10th season in the league. His 180-yard performance against the Rams in Week 1 broke the franchise record for yards by a tight end in a single game that was previously held by Todd Christensen, who caught 11 passes for 173 yards against the Chargers on Nov. 20, 1986.
Gruden was pleased that Cook will be in playing in the Pro Bowl. He will participate as Travis Kelce's replacement.
"Jared made the Pro Bowl, which is great for him," Gruden said. "We're really happy about that. I thought he should have gotten in to start with."
Former Ravens sixth-round pick Darren Waller could be a possible replacement for Cook. He was signed late in the season off of Baltimore's practice squad and played in the final four games. He caught all six passes thrown his way for 75 yards.
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The Raiders will need to focus on adding a tight end during the offseason through free agency or the draft. The staff's involvement at the Senior Bowl is one of the opportunities they will need to take advantage of.
