Tom Brady had telling response to 1 of his top weapons being traded - report
The New England Patriots’ decision to trade wide receiver Brandin Cooks was somewhat surprising, in large part because the 24-year-old wideout was one of quarterback Tom Brady’s top weapons last season.
In return for Cooks, New England received a 2018 first-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots also relinquished a fourth-round pick, but received a sixth-rounder, according to ESPN.
Cooks may have been New England’s second-leading receiver last season, having caught 65 passes for 1,082 yards with seven touchdowns, but at least one Patriot is reportedly not upset to see him go.
According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Brady is “not sad” about the move to trade Cooks. “Despite his numbers,” Rapoport tweeted, “Cooks wasn’t a great fit.”
One more note on Brandin Cooks: #Rams are getting an incredibly productive WR who Sean McVay has coveted. But #Patriots didn’t see him as a true No. 1 for them… and from what I understand, Tom Brady is not sad about this move. Despite his numbers, Cooks wasn’t a great fit.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 4, 2018
As noted by CBS Sports, the wideout is one of just four players to rack up three 1,000-yard seasons before his 25th birthday, with the others being Randy Moss, Odell Beckham Jr. and John Jefferson. But Cooks, who was shipped from the New Orleans Saints to the Patriots prior to the 2017 season, is the only one of those four to be traded in back-to-back years.
A deeper look into Cooks’ statistics could indicate why the Patriots decided it was time to move on.
Despite his solid overall numbers, Cooks had more than 100 receiving yards just twice last year. Both of those occasions were indeed monster performances, but he only surpassed 90 yards one other time.
Moreover, Cooks, who is primarily a deep threat, never caught more than six passes in one regular season game.
According to NESN, the issue was that he never formed a “reliable connection” with Brady.
“The Patriots rely on their No. 1 receivers to to make difficult catches and pick up tough yards in big situations, and Cooks routinely failed to deliver in those scenarios. For all his talents and athletic ability, Cooks finished the regular season with a pedestrian catch percentage of 57 percent,” NESN reported.
Cooks may have had the 11th most receiving yards in the league last year, but Pro Football Focus ranked him as just the 36th best wide receiver in the NFL
Looking forward, it’s not like the Patriots won’t have anyone for Brady to throw the football to.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski hasn’t been very clear about what his plans are for next season, but all signs seem to indicate that he will come back.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman, who missed all of 2017 with a knee injury, should return for 2018. And wide receiver Chris Hogan, who had 128 receiving yards and a touchdown in New England’s Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, is also more than capable of being a being contributor.
Which is all to say that even without Cooks, it’s not likely that the Patriots are going to get too much worse.
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