The New England Patriots have been active in free agency, adding to their secondary with a massive contract for Stephon Gilmore and some rumblings concerning former Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler. On Friday, however, Bill Belichick and company reportedly used the trade route to upgrade their roster in adding New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
TRADE! The Patriots have traded their #32 & 3rd #103 pick to the Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks & their 4th #118 pick per sources
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 11, 2017
Dianna Russini of ESPN previously reported that the Patriots had discussed a deal involving Cooks in exchange for Butler. In this construction, though, New England adds a high-end weapon for Tom Brady on the outside without giving up anything of value from the 2016 roster that netted a Super Bowl title.
Cooks, who is just 23 years old, caught 78 passes for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns from Drew Brees a season ago, and he would provide a dynamic option for Brady to utilize in support of Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. The Patriots are also charged with replacing the production of the departed Martellus Bennett, who signed a deal with the Green Bay Packers.
On the Saints’ side, dealing away a “number one” wide receiver seems curious in some ways, but New Orleans does have a potential star on the outside in Malcolm Thomas. Beyond that, the Saints are seemingly always in need of defensive help, and they can flip the No. 32 overall pick into a cost-controlled asset on that side of the ball.
Unloading a first-round pick for a more “win now” move does not normally fit the style of Belichick and the Patriots, but given Cooks’ age and the shortened window for Brady, it wouldn’t be difficult to argue in favor of the deal on the merits. With that said, it will be interesting to see how the organization moves forward, especially with regard to other decisions including Butler’s next contract and, of course, the Jimmy Garoppolo saga.
