‘Blockbuster’ Trade Scenario Sees Patriots Land Former Receiver

Getty Bill Belichick's Patriots could make a move for Texans receiver Brandin Cooks.

The New England Patriots should consider trading for one of their former receivers this offseason, according to one writer.

As the Patriots hunt for a true No. 1 receiver for quarterback Mac Jones to throw to, they might want to look toward a familiar face, wrote Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox in a February 8 post. Knox posited the idea of the Patriots acquiring former receiver Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans in exchange for the Patriots’ 2022 second-round pick in the NFL draft.

Jones Needs True No. 1 Receiver

“Adding a true No. 1 receiver could help (Mac) Jones take another positive step in Year 2,” Knox wrote. “The Patriots provided Jones with several good complementary pass-catchers but no legitimate top target. Jakobi Meyers led the team with 866 yards and two touchdowns. However, he provided a passer rating of only 81.0 when targeted.”

Cooks, 28, appeared to be a potential midseason trade candidate in 2021. But ESPN’s Dan Graziano said in October that he didn’t “get the sense” the Texans were willing to move Cooks. Indeed, Cooks finished out the season with the Texans, catching 90 passes for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns.

“Instead of using a second-round pick on a receiver,” Knox wrote, “the Patriots could instead use the pick to bring back a familiar face, and we’d love to see it.”

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Why Cooks Would Benefit Patriots

The Patriots have a history of bringing back their former players. In particular, they made a similar move when they made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks to bring back former receiver Deion Branch, who had previously left the Patriots on bad terms.

Although Cooks played only one season in New England (2017), he emerged as Tom Brady’s favorite wide receiver. Cooks caught 65 passes for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns that season.

In 2021, Cooks posted the sixth 1,000-yard season of his eight-year career despite playing on one of the worst teams in the NFL .

Cooks’ 77.4 offensive grade in 2021 ranked 25th among all receivers, according to Pro Football Focus. With the exception of his 2019 campaign, Cooks has ranked in the top 25 in offensive grade in every season since 2018.

With just one year left on a contract that will see him get paid $12.5 million (making him the 13th-highest paid receiver in the league), he could be seen as a wide receiver the Patriots might be inclined to acquire.

The question is, would the Patriots be willing to part with a second-round draft pick in exchange for a player for might wind up being only a one-year rental?

When the Patriots made a blockbuster trade for Randy Moss for a fourth-round pick in 2007, they did so because they knew that by making the move, they would immediately become favorites to win the Super Bowl. The previous year’s team had come within a game of reaching the Super Bowl.

With the right upgrades in the offseason, the Patriots, who finished 10-7 and got an AFC wild card, can remain a playoff team. But if they give up highly valued draft capital for a veteran receiver, are they really closer to winning a Super Bowl?