PFF reveals hypothetical trade to reunite Patriots with this playmaking receiver

The Patriots reunite with this wide receiver in a hypothetical trade.

The New England patriots will have decisions to make as NFL free agency begins in short order.

Several sites are predicting where popular players may end up, and Pro Football Focus has New England reuniting with one of their former wide receivers, Brandin Cooks.

Cooks came to New England by way of a trade with the New Orleans Saints in March 2017. He recorded 65 catches for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns in his lone season with the Patriots. New England traded him the following April for a first-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft. The pick ended up being used on Isaiah Wynn.

The wide receiver is coming off a 2022 season with the Houston Texans that saw him be productive. He caught 57 passes for 699 yards and three touchdowns.

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus put together a hypothetical trade that saw New England acquiring Cooks and a 2024 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick.

Cooks would undoubtedly add a spark to a Patriots wide receiver room that could use a top receiver. He would give New England a big-play threat and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien another tool to work with.

It remains to be seen if this will happen. Nevertheless, it would be a trade that would benefit New England immensely.

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Brandin Cooks has a blunt defense for Bill Belichick’s coaching style

Brandin Cooks defended Bill Belichick an interview on Tuesday.

Playing for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots is difficult, at times. However, former Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks wasn’t going to complain about the challenging work environment in New England.

For his part, Cooks was extremely valuable in his short stint with the Patriots. He caught 65 passes for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2017 season. He was a weapon for New England, and ultimately played at a high level during his time here.

Speaking on the Ordway, Merloni, and Fauria show on Tuesday, Cooks indicated that it wasn’t too hard to play in New England.

“Not at all,” Cooks said when asked if he found it difficult to play for the Patriots. “I have to say that’s one of my favorite places that I’ve ever played. Especially when you’re winning, how is it hard to play there? I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Belichick and, at the time, Tom [Brady] and Josh McDaniels. I think if it’s too hard for you, that must mean you don’t like to work hard. Now, you grind — don’t get me wrong — but there’s fun in that as well.”

That’s certainly a ringing endorsement, especially in comparison to comments made by former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola earlier in the week. At the very least, Belichick has somebody in his corner.

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