Brandin Cooks traded to The Patriots

Former Oregon State wide receiver, Brandin Cooks, has reportedly been traded to the New England Patriots. ESPN’s Dianna Russini was the first to break the news:

Brandin Cooks is coming off a monster year with the Saints catching 78 passes for a career-high 1,173 yards and seven touchdowns. The New Orleans Saints have been openly shopping Brandin Cooks for the past week though, as they seek to improve their defense.

The Saints have managed to shred opposing defenses under head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees, despite losing a number of playmakers. The Saints have famously moved on from talents like Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills and Darren Sproles without taking a step back offensively. The Saints feel that they can rely on Michael Thomas who is coming off a fantastic rookie season and Willie Snead who has also shown impressive improvement.

The Patriots, fresh off an epic super bowl victory, will be ecstatic to add Brandin Cooks to the roster. Bill Belichick and company value their draft picks more than perhaps any other organization in the NFL. Giving their 1st and 3rd round pick, for Cooks and a 4th-rounder show how much they value Brandin Cooks and his skills.

Cooks should help add a deep-threat dimension to the Patriots offense. They’ve relied heavily on Julian Edleman in the passing game, especially when Rob Gronkowski hasn’t been healthy. It should be interesting to watch what kind of numbers Brandin Cooks can put up catching passes from an all-time great in Tom Brady.