The Philadelphia Stars announced on Thursday that quarterback Case Cookus is returning to the team for the 2023 USFL season. The 27-year-old from Thousand Oaks, California, was on the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in 2022.
The Stars drafted Cookus in the twelfth round (94th pick) in the 2022 USFL Draft. Cookus took over the Stars’ quarterback role after Bryan Scott was injured in Week 3 against the New Jersey Generals. He led the Stars to a 6-4 record in which Philadelphia won the North Division semi-final win over the New Jersey Generals.
Unfortunately, Cookus broke his leg in the USFL Championship game as the Stars lost to the Birmingham Stallions 33-30. Cookus went 17 of 29 completions (58.6%) for 65 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and one carry for five yards.
Cookus finished the season going 130 of 208 completions (62.5%) for 1,334 yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, 22 carries for 217 yards, and one touchdown in nine games, of which seven were starts.
Before joining the Stars, Cookus was with the Edmonton Elks. Cookus played in 41 games at Northern Arizona University with 892 passes for 12,082 yards, 105 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, 206 carries for 232 yards, and six touchdowns.
Cookus won the Jerry Rice Award in 2015, First Team All-Big Sky Conference (2015), Big Sky Conference Co-Freshmen of the Year (2015), and STATS FCS Freshman Player of the Year (2015).
After college, Cookus went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and signed with the New York Giants but was released in August 2020. He had tryouts with the Broncos, Raiders, and Vikings last year.
