Rams acquire Brandin Cooks from Patriots for first-round pick

The Los Angeles Rams continue to make amazing trades this offseason, landing Brandin Cooks from the New England Patriots for a first-round pick.

The Los Angeles Rams are making a mockery of the offseason. After trading for Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib to bolster their already solid secondary, general manager Les Snead signed Ndamukong Suh to a one-year deal to play alongside Aaron Donald.

Now, the Rams have made another huge deal, acquiring wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the New England Patriots for 2018 first-round and sixth-round selections. Los Angeles is also getting a fourth-round pick along with Cooks.

This is a fascinating deal on a litany of levels. For starters, the Patriots are dealing Cooks only one year after trading a first-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for him. In New England, Cooks played well, hauling in 65 passes for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns. However, with only one year left on his deal, the Patriots are moving on while adding a first-round choice to their arsenal of draft capital.

As for the Rams, they have replaced Sammy Watkins, who left in free agency to join the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year, $48 million deal. Cooks is a similar player to Watkins in terms of deep-ball threat, while both are only 24 years old. Cooks also comes to the Rams on his rookie deal, playing out his fifth-year option.

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New England now has a pair of first-round and second-round selections, something that ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes could help it get a quarterback early on in the draft. With Tom Brady turning 41 years old in August, the Patriots could use a long-term prospect at the position. Jimmy Garoppolo appeared to be that answer over the past few seasons, but he was dealt to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a second-round pick.