Cook: Offense didn't progress

Jared Cook seems frustrated with the Tennessee Titans and the direction things are going with the offense.

Cook, who missed the last three games of the season with a shoulder injury that required surgery, is a free agent, though he could be hit with the franchise tag if the Titans don't offer him a long-term contract. He finished this season with 44 receptions.

As Titans players left for the off-season, Cook was matter-of-fact in his assessment of the situation.

“I'm just gonna say that things should be better and that things should be a lot farther progressed than they are,” Cook said. “I've been here for four years and I don't feel like this should be a rebuilding year. I feel like you should have your quarterback in place and your head coach in place and things should be progressing toward a brighter future. I'm just not sure.”

Cook said the offensive struggles were frustrating not only to him but the entire offense. Chris Palmer was fired as offensive coordinator in November and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains took over as the playcaller. Cook said the frustrations go deeper than a 6-10 record.

“It's not only (that). For me, it's how the offense has struggled all year. We've shown no signs of getting better at all to me,” Cook said. “I feel like it's another year and another year to be out. I just don't want it to be a year wasted, because that's another year that not only me, but everybody else, is getting older, and you know the timetable of playing football. Your time is limited in this league and you've got to strike while it's hot. Sometimes I just wonder about the progression.”

He said he has no qualms with quarterback Jake Locker, who in his first season as a starter was inconsistent at times.

“I've never had any kind of negative feeling toward Jake or felt like he couldn't get the job done. I know that he has the heart and I know that he has the determination to get the job done,” Cook said. “It's just kind of a thing offensively as a whole that I want to see us get better and I want see signs of things getting better.”

As for his own fate and future, Cook is in wait-and-see mode.

“I'm not sure. That's something I'll have to take into consideration. I don't know what my options will be yet. We have to wait for the franchise tag and all that, so we're gonna see,” he said.