JACKSONVILLE – He's really good and really consistent.
Logan Cooke has been those things for a while now. As of late last month, he's something else – something he finds difficult to believe: The longest-tenured Jaguars player.
"It's crazy," he said.
Cooke, a seventh-year veteran and one of the NFL's best punters, joined senior writer John Oehser for this 2024 Week 11 O-Zone Podcast. He discussed multiple topics, including how he feels about having been with the organization longer than any other active player.
That became the case when the Jaguars traded left tackle Cam Robinson – a second-round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft – to the Minnesota Vikings in late October. The Jaguars selected Cooke in Round 7 of the 2018 NFL Draft.
"I guess I'm up next; that's how it works," Cooke said with a laugh before adding seriously, "It's a blessing. I never thought I'd be here, so to be here this long has been cool."
Cooke, who is averaging a career-high 51.4 yards per punt this season, has been one of the NFL's best players at his position for much of his career. But he said such longevity perhaps seemed unlikely early in his career.
After Cooke struggled in a few early games as a rookie, he was walking to a practice when he saw three punters walking through the hall with scouts toward a mid-week workout.
"I was so furious," he said. "I was like, 'What is this?' I remember [then-long snapper] Carson Tinker telling me, 'Hey, you're going to be here as long as you're going to be here whether it's one more week or 10 more years. It's already written, so relax.'
"He doesn't even remember saying it. But that stuck with me. I ended up playing OK and we've figured it out a little since them."
Cooke had a career-best 73-yard punt against the Green Bay Packers on November 3. That punt went out of bounds at the Packers 2, with Cooke calling it the best punt of his career.
"I'll never try to up that one, for sure," he said with a laugh.
Cooke, too, discussed the Jaguars' approach moving forward despite a 2-8 record – and why the team has not quit on what thus far has been a frustrating season.
"I hate to rewind all the time, but looking back at 2022, it's pretty much the same team," Cooke said, referring to the '22 AFC South champions. "We were 3-7 at one point that season. We came back from what looked to be a 2018-2021-type season and turned it around. We've seen that.
"There are still a lot of guys who remember where we have been and where we got to. There's still a lot of that."
To listen to the entire O-Zone Podcast with Cooke, click HERE.
Cooke, too, discussed the Jaguars' approach moving forward despite a 2-8 record – and why the team has not quit on what thus far has been a frustrating season.
"I hate to rewind all the time, but looking back at 2022, it's pretty much the same team," Cooke said, referring to the '22 AFC South champions. "We were 3-7 at one point that season. We came back from what looked to be a 2018-2021-type season and turned it around. We've seen that.
"There are still a lot of guys who remember where we have been and where we got to. There's still a lot of that."
To listen to the entire O-Zone Podcast with Cooke, click HERE.
