{"id":41419,"date":"2018-04-04T07:00:22","date_gmt":"2018-04-04T11:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=41419"},"modified":"2018-04-04T02:12:58","modified_gmt":"2018-04-04T06:12:58","slug":"brandin-cooks-trade-mean-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/04\/04\/brandin-cooks-trade-mean-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Brandin Cooks Trade Means for the New England Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/patriots\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New England Patriots<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/rams\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Los Angeles Rams<\/a> returned to the headlines today, <a href=\"http:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2018\/04\/03\/patriots-trade-brandin-cooks-rams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">agreeing to the latest trade<\/a> in what has been a very active off-season for both teams. The Patriots have agreed to trade fifth-year receiver <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/C\/CookBr00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandin Cooks<\/a><\/strong> and a 2018 fourth-round pick to the Rams. In return, New England will receive the 23rd overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft and a sixth-round selection. The teams had reportedly discussed the trade for a month in advance. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Patriots and Rams have discussed a potential Brandin Cooks trade for over a month, before Rams and Giants discussed a potential Odell Beckham Jr. trade. Rams liked this situation better.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamSchefter\/status\/981288231605080064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 3, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cooks, 24, finished off his first and only year in New England with strong (yet to some disappointing) numbers. The former first-round selection accumulated 1,082 yards on 65 receptions, scoring seven touchdowns while playing in all 16 games. These numbers, especially for a receiver on a rookie-scale contract, are nothing to write off. Cooks&#8217; receiving yards total\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/herosports.com\/nfl\/player\/brandin-cooks-stats\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ranked 11th in the NFL in 2017<\/a>, while Spotrac lists Cooks as only the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nfl\/los-angeles-rams\/brandin-cooks-14429\/market-value\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">67th highest-paid receiver<\/a> in the game. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This begs the question, however. Why did the Patriots decide to move on from the speedy receiver after only one season? On the surface, the answer is simple: money. <strong>Bill Belichick<\/strong> and the Patriots are not one to shell out record-breaking contracts in free agency (minus <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GilmSt00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephon Gilmore<\/a><\/strong>). With the market paying big money to names such as <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RobiAl02.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Allen Robinson<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WatkSa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sammy Watkins<\/a><\/strong>, the Patriots would have needed to break the bank to retain the likes of Cooks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the real reasons for any Belichick move lie\u00a0far below the surface. In this article, we will outline three possible motives the Patriots had to acquire more draft capital, and where the team goes from here.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><strong>After the Brandin Cooks Trade, Where Do The New England Patriots Go From Here?<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trade Up in the Draft<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All Patriots fans know of Belichick\u2019s infatuation with trades during draft time. While the usual move is a trade down, the Patriots now have enough ammunition to trade <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">up<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the draft. Under Belichick, the Patriots have never used this much early-round capital. Now owning four selections in the first two rounds of the draft (two first-round picks), New England has the ability to move upwards in the draft to fill their holes with higher-upside talent<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NESN\u2019s Doug Kyed proposed the idea of the Patriots moving up twice in the first round to acquire higher-talent players.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Patriots could presumably move up twice in the first round. Package No. 23 and 43\/63 to move up and package No. 31 and 43\/63 to move up.<\/p>\n<p>The Patriots also could move way up and give up everything.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DougKyed\/status\/981293101942755329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 3, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given this draft&#8217;s top-end talent, moving into the top five for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BradTo00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s heir apparent is likely out of the question. If the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/giants\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Giants<\/a> second overall pick was available, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/bills\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buffalo Bills<\/a> would have presumably traded into that selection. Given this is not happening (yet), it is not likely the Patriots can move that high up the order.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more likely situation here is a trade into the later picks in the top ten, or potentially the early teen selections. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/colts\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Indianapolis Colts<\/a> have shown they are open for business, and more teams will presumably follow that path.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, this idea only works based on how the picks align on draft night. If top names such as <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/minkah-fitzpatrick-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minkah Fitzpatrick<\/a><\/b>, <strong style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=josh-jackson-4,josh-jackson-1,josh-jackson-2,josh-jackson-3&amp;search=Josh+Jackson&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Jackson<\/a><\/strong>, or <strong style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/roquan-smith-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roquan Smith<\/a><\/strong> slip outside the top 10 selections, any team picking can expect to field a call from Belichick. The potential is there for a Patriots trade up. For who is currently unknown. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trade Assets For Another Star<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking of Cooks, he is the latest example of Belichick trading high-end draft capital for established NFL talent. The Patriots notably <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/story\/0ap3000000792444\/article\/saints-trade-brandin-cooks-to-patriots-for-no-32-pick\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">acquired Cooks<\/a> last off-season from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/saints\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Orleans Saints<\/a> in exchange for a first and third-round pick. The Patriots have never shied away from turning draft assets into established talent, and there is no reason to suspect that will change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the Patriots have already chosen this route, it is not without a second move in place. For Belichick to trade away a 1,000-yard receiver, the next move would presumably bring in a player even better. The Giants have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/22943321\/new-york-giants-asking-least-two-first-round-picks-odell-beckham-jr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reportedly shopped star wide receiver <\/a><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BeckOd00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Odell Beckham<\/a> Jr.<\/strong> to the tune of one (or more) first-round selections. Fittingly, the Patriots have two selections in the first round, and a new hole at wide receiver. A Patriots trade for Beckham is not likely but also not out of the realm of possibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots are not limited to trading for Cooks\u2019 replacement, however. The team\u2019s receiving corps is still strong with the return of\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/E\/EdelJu00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Julian Edelman<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MitcMa01.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Malcolm Mitchell<\/a><\/strong> to join <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HogaCh00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Hogan<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BritKe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kenny Britt<\/a><\/strong>, and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/D\/DorsPh00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Phillip Dorsett<\/a><\/strong>. At the rate the off-season has been moving, no player is out of the discussion for the Patriots.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stand Pat<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Out of these three options, standing pat appears to be the best move. It is not a usual Belichick move, but potentially the smartest option available. If the Patriots move up in the draft, they might sacrifice two (or more) high draft picks for a singular player. By trading for a player such as Beckham, the team forces itself into the same situation it had with Cooks. Next off-season, the team would have to pay a high price tag to retain Beckham. This seems somewhat counterproductive to the trading of Cooks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if New England stays where they are, the potential to fill more holes with more young talent early arises. By acquiring a second first-round selection, the team now has increased flexibility to address its own needs. In our <a href=\"http:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2018\/03\/31\/new-england-patriots-mock-draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pre-trade mock draft<\/a>, we identified positions of need for the Patriots, who now have more assets to fill them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots have numerous options at their newly acquired first-round choice. The team may choose to fill the left tackle void\u00a0with prospects like\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=connor-williams-1,connor-williams-2&amp;search=Connor+Williams&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor Williams<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/kolton-miller-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kolton Miller<\/a><\/strong>, or <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/mike-mcglinchey-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike McGlinchey<\/a><\/strong>. Boise State linebacker <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/leighton-vander-esch-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Leighton Vander Esch<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and Boston College&#8217;s\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/harold-landry-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Harold Landry<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0offer intriguing options in the early 20s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the Patriots choose to hang onto their early selections, they will be able to fill their biggest needs early. Adding young talent to a Super Bowl winning team is a recipe for success, and one the Patriots must not be afraid to try.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall Outlook<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, the Patriots lose an impact receiver but gain much more flexibility in this year\u2019s draft. Not to mention, the team will increase its salary cap number to roughly <a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nfl\/new-england-patriots\/cap\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$15 million<\/a> for the moment, which allows for needs to be filled outside of the draft. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots\u2019 operations are done with a very under-the-radar approach, as seen in this move. We may not know of Belichick\u2019s true intentions until the moment they happen. In any case, we know the Patriots have set themselves up for a very exciting month ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"n9kzb-XURBpGhHO56x2DOA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/908414658\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'n9kzb-XURBpGhHO56x2DOA',sig:'4GxD_ZUE17N9AFRpNp28G97Lr03lduMpHp84FJekHbk=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'908414658',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams returned to the headlines today with the move that sent Brandin Cooks out west for draft picks. It&#8217;s the latest in what has been an active off-season for both teams. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2536,"featured_media":41450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,2,5],"tags":[2580,430,354,61,192,38,40,514],"class_list":["post-41419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-featured","category-patriots","tag-2018-nfl-draft","tag-bill-belichick","tag-brandin-cooks","tag-football","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-odell-beckham-jr"],"modified_by":"John Bava","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}