INGLEWOOD, Calif. – In early June, safety Alex Cook returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown for the United Football League (UFL)'s Birmingham Stallions.
More than two months later, Cook got another pick-six – this time taking it 100 yards to the house for the Rams in their 34-0 preseason win over the Saints on Saturday at SoFi Stadium.
"It's definitely a blessing," Cook said. "I mean, coming from the UFL, I dreamed of being back in this back in the NFL, and my last game in the UFL, I was grateful to get a pick-six. I was dreaming, like, 'Man, if I could get one more pick-six back in the NFL, that would make my whole life.' And thank God I was able to get one today."
"For AC to be able to make that pick-six, it's awesome," head coach Sean McVay said.
Late in the third quarter, quarterback Spencer Rattler took the shotgun snap from the Los Angeles 6-yard line, then attempted to thread the ball through a tight window between two defenders to his tight end Treyton Welch. When Cook caught the ball with the running back slipping as he took off, he had only one man to beat – Rattler – and easily weaved passed him toward the middle of the field. From there, he had nothing but green grass in front of him.
A 100-yard house call.
"We were in a typical Cover 4. I felt the bat go out, I felt the seven route by the tight end, I knew that spot route was gonna come sit right at the end zone, and I was just waiting for the QB to throw it," Cook said, recalling what he saw on the play. "And I kind of held my inside leverage, and once I saw his eyes progress to the spot route, I just went ahead and jumped it, and thankfully I was able to catch it in stride and take it to take it to the house."
While Cook may be new to the Rams, he already had two familiar faces in the building when he arrived on Aug. 7 between pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake (his position coach, defensive coordinator and head coach at the University of Washington) and former college teammates wide receiver Puka Nacua and cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Still, the rest of the defense swarmed celebrated with him in the endzone and back on the sideline like they had known him as long as Lake, Nacua and McDuffie.
"That was so cool," Cook said. "I mean, that's a testament of this team and the culture Sean McVay has built. And yeah, since the first day I've gotten here, I felt like I was part of the family already, and it's just been a blessing.
"... And I just feel right at home being from California, too," added Cook, who starred at Sheldon High School in Elk Grove, a suburb of Sacramento. "So that definitely helps."
There's more meaning to the interception beyond just the connection to his last UFL game.
Cook first reached the NFL as an undrafted free agent, signing with the Giants in 2023. Stints with the Panthers, Giants and Bears followed across 2024 and 2025, mostly as a member of that team's offseason roster or practice squad.
He is still working to keep his childhood NFL dream alive. Making plays like that can only help his chances.
"When I was in the UFL, I tried to be as present as I was, as I could be," Cook said. "You always want to go back to the NFL. I mean that's the ultimate goal, that's my childhood dream. But you got to really just be where your feet are and enjoy the UFL experience. And hopefully you make a lot of plays in the UFL and do what you're supposed to do, and hopefully get called back. And thankfully, I was grateful to get called back here. I just wanted to continue making plays, and thankfully I am."
