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NFL

Patriots ship Cooks to Rams for 1st-round pick

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots have traded receiver Brandin Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams for the 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft.

As part of the deal, which was officially announced by the Rams on Tuesday night, New England also sent a fourth-round pick (No. 136 overall) to Los Angeles and received a sixth-round pick (No. 198 overall) from the Rams.

The deal helps both teams in different ways.

The Rams — who had explored a trade for Odell Beckham Jr. but liked the Cooks option better — were seeking a vertical threat for second-year coach Sean McVay’s dynamic offense after Sammy Watkins joined the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.

The speedy Cooks, who totaled 65 receptions for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns for the Patriots last season, fills that void alongside Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Cooks had 16 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield last season, tied with DeAndre Hopkins for most in the NFL.

Several current Rams played took to Twitter to cheer the move.

Cooks had made a strong impression on many in New England after the team acquired him last offseason from the New Orleans Saints for a package that included the Patriots’ first-round pick (No. 32 overall), but he was entering the final year of his contract (due to earn $8.459 million) at a time when salaries for top pass-catchers have skyrocketed.

In choosing to trade Cooks, the Patriots were likely weighing their chances of re-signing him in 2019 while also working to accumulate assets at a time when quarterback Tom Brady turns 41 in August and tight end Rob Gronkowski appears to be on a year-to-year plan in terms of how much longer he will play.

The Patriots, who hope to sustain success as some of their star players enter the final stages of their careers, now have two first-round picks (No. 23, 31) and two second-rounders (No. 43, 63), along with a third-rounder (95), two sixth-rounders and a seventh-rounder this year.

As for their wide receiver depth chart, it is still well stocked with Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Malcolm Mitchell, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson, Riley McCarron and Cody Hollister, although the club will miss Cooks’ blazing speed and durability, as he played 92.7 percent of the offensive snaps in the regular season and coach Bill Belichick said he never missed a practice.

Cooks had 10 catches for 155 yards in the postseason before being knocked out of the team’s Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a concussion in the second quarter.

The 24-year-old Cooks, who entered the NFL as a first-round draft choice of the Saints in 2014, is the latest star acquisition for the Rams this offseason. They previously traded for cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, then signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, whom they will introduce to the media Wednesday.

The Rams will be without a first-round pick for the second consecutive year. They were hoping to use this year’s pick to help address drastic needs at linebacker.

The 23rd overall pick will be the Patriots’ highest in the draft since 2012, when they selected Chandler Jones 21st overall. In addition, they now have two first-round picks in the same draft for the third time under Belichick. In 2012, they selected Jones and Dont’a Hightower. In 2004, they took Vince Wilfork and Benjamin Watson.

ESPN.com Rams reporter Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.

NFL

After two QB mistakes, Jets GM has chance to right his legacy

Mike Maccagnan is a cool customer. For a guy who drinks 10 cups of coffee a day (no exaggeration), he never seems jittery or rattled. It takes a lot to get a rise out of him, which is why it’s noteworthy he displayed a hint of defiance last week when questioned about his sketchy history of drafting quarterbacks — a hot-button issue in the current landscape.

The New York Jets general manager defended himself by reminding reporters that Bryce Petty was a fourth-round pick (2015) and Christian Hackenberg was a “late” second-rounder (2016). It was his way of saying, “Hey, guys, gimme a break, it’s not like I blew a first-round pick.” No, he didn’t, but Hackenberg was such a colossal miss — he still hasn’t played in a game — that some folks are wondering if Maccagnan will get it right on April 26.

Jets GM Mike Maccagnan says he isn’t fazed by criticism of his past quarterback picks and is confident he’ll hit in 2018. Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

“It doesn’t faze me,” Maccagnan said of the criticism. “It’s the college draft. [There are] guys you’ll hit on and guys who don’t pan out. That’s part of the process. We feel pretty confident with this year’s group and where we’re situated.”

The Jets are picking third and, barring the draft upset of the decade, they will select a quarterback from the group of Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen. It’ll be a franchise-altering decision for the Jets and a legacy-defining choice for Maccagnan, a college economics major-turned-scout who found the big chair in 2015. He will attempt to solve The Quarterback Riddle, which has flummoxed this star-crossed franchise for decades.

They’ve tried everything.

They’ve rummaged through the recycle bin (Josh McCown and Ryan Fitzpatrick), they’ve tried their luck in the second round (Hackenberg and Geno Smith) and they’ve rented a hired gun (Brett Favre). Their last first-round pick was Mark Sanchez in 2009, and that was working for a couple of years — until it wasn’t.

After failing to secure the only quick fix in the 2018 market — Kirk Cousins said no — Maccagnan went back to his days as an economics student. He took some of his best assets (three second-round picks, including one in 2019) and sold them off for a chance to score with a potential high-yield investment — easily the boldest move of his tenure.

The blockbuster trade with the Indianapolis Colts, which allowed the Jets to climb three spots in the draft order, carries considerable risk. It’s an all-in move that will leave Maccagnan out of a job in a couple of years if it backfires.

When: April 26-28
Where: Arlington, Texas
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“I don’t like necessarily giving up the picks, per se, to move up,” said Maccagnan, adding he did it because it’s a chance to “potentially help yourself in the bigger scheme of things.”

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. called it “a hefty price to pay,” saying the Jets essentially gave up three potential starters — the draft picks that went to the Colts — to select perhaps the third-best quarterback. In that context, yeah, it doesn’t look like a sound move, but no one will remember the compensation if the quarterback develops into a long-term solution.

It’s a calculated gamble, but you know what? You can’t sit back, passively, and wait for the next Tom Brady in the sixth round. You can’t win a Lombardi Trophy by playing it by the book. To quote Tom Cruise in “Risky Business,” sometimes you just have to say … well, you know.

“We do think there are some very good quarterback prospects in this class,” Maccagnan said. “They all have different strengths and maybe some different areas of concern or weakness. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve been to all these pro days, because there are some real viable guys there that you think may be good additions if they fall to us in the right spot.”

The question is, can Maccagnan learn from his past quarterback mistakes?

With Hackenberg, Maccagnan relied too much on projection. The GM saw the big arm and projected what Hackenberg could be, not what he was — an inaccurate passer with questionable instincts.

Will that effect the way he evaluates Allen, who has a tremendous amount of raw, physical talent but is considered boom or bust?

With Petty, Maccagnan bet on a player from a spread system, figuring he’d need a year or two to make the transition to a pro-style offense. It hasn’t happened for Petty, who is 1-6 as a starter.

Will Maccagnan downgrade Mayfield because he played in a spread at Oklahoma?

Hey, no one said this will be an easy decision. History says two of the top four quarterbacks will be NFL disappointments. Maccagnan put himself in the batter’s box and gets another swing. Maybe the third time will be the charm.

NFL

How Steelers do free agency: Find two starters for less than $4 million

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers started free agency strapped for cash (around $6.5 million in cap space) but looking to improve. While most of their needs were met on offense, the loss of linebacker Ryan Shazier to a spinal injury and the release of safety Mike Mitchell created two glaring holes that only one first-round pick can solve.

Two weeks later, as Steelers officials rolled through the halls of the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida, for the NFL owners meetings, they were satisfied with the additions of linebacker Jon Bostic and safety Morgan Burnett and teasing more moves thanks to more than $3 million in leftover space.

“I wouldn’t say we’re done with free agency, because stuff changes,” said general manager Kevin Colbert, citing the need to be ready if talented players become available via release.

Linebacker Jon Bostic’s contract carries only a $1.5 million cap hit for this season. Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire

Here’s how the Steelers filled out their defense with minimal money:

Patience in linebacker/safety markets: The Steelers showed interest in many free-agent inside linebackers early in the process, including Denver’s Todd Davis and Cincinnati’s Preston Brown. But as several linebackers earned deals worth $5 million to $9 million per year, some of whom are considered two-down players, the Steelers decided they couldn’t spend that much.

Enter Bostic, who wasn’t a splashy free agent because of injuries and mostly backup production in his first three seasons. But getting a player fresh off a 97-tackle season for two years and $4 million made sense to the Steelers.

Once they secured Bostic, they circled back with Burnett, whom they had called the week before. Tyrann Mathieu’s signing for one year and $7 million with the Houston Texans signaled a weak safety market. The Steelers took advantage.

“We just let it play out,” Colbert said about their free-agency approach. “We knew when we looked at the market we knew that we were only going to be able to do certain things within our own limitations, again, after we made the reductions on our own roster. So as the market unfolds we reacted to it and we were happy to get Burnett and John Bostic from the picks.”

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Sensible contracts: Burnett’s $14.35 million deal over three years seems hefty for a cash-strapped team, but the structure of the contract works for Pittsburgh. The signing bonus of $4.25 million spread over three years, coupled with a $1 million base salary in Year 1, equals a modest $2.416 million cap hit in 2018. That leaves nearly $10 million of salary on the final two years, but those are not guaranteed.

Add Bostic’s $1.5 million cap hit and the Steelers just got two starters for less than $4 million this year.

“We obviously had to make some cap adjustments to get in compliance, and in doing that we had to look at all alternatives,” Colbert said. “Fortunately, there was a guy available to us we felt was a good alternative, and Morgan Burnett, he was affordable. And again, we were able to get the deal done with both sides being agreeable.”

No star power, but flexibility: For a team not spending big, the best course is getting positional options in the second wave of free agency. The Steelers typically prefer this process, knowing they can walk away from any deal after Year 1 with minimal recourse.

But Burnett was one of the top safeties available because of his hybrid ability. He can play slot corner, dime linebacker or both safety spots. Bostic might have lost a step but has adequate speed (4.61 40 at the 2013 combine). He should be able to help cover running backs in the flat.

“They’re capable veteran players who are solid guys, guys that we had knowledge of in terms of how they entered the league,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We researched those guys when they came into the league, so it made the research of them in the free-agency market a less daunting task. So, we’re excited about having those guys. We’re excited to get them in, but we’re also excited about the experience and expertise that they’re going to bring as well.”

NFL

Gronk 'pretty certain' he'll return, sources say

As New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski weighs his future, sources close to him say he has recently expressed that he is more likely to continue his football career than retire at 28 years old.

Gronkowski still hasn’t made a decision, but despite serious considerations since the end of the season of retiring because of physical and mental fatigue, sources say he is “pretty certain” he’ll come back as long as Tom Brady remains with the team.

However, this dose of good news for Patriots fans comes with some dilution: Lingering frustrations remain between Gronkowski and head coach Bill Belichick, along with others in the Patriots organization, according to sources close to each side. Whether those frustrations on either side will impact Gronkowski’s return to the team remains the final piece to this unfinished puzzle.

For Gronkowski, the physical anguish of the 2017 season, which led him late in the regular season to tell people that he was likely to retire, was paired with some mental fatigue from the high-strung culture within the Patriots organization, sources said. Nothing has occurred since the end of the season to convince him that is going to change — and Gronkowski knows he’ll need to be ready for a similar toll on his mind and body if he returns in 2018.

Although Rob Gronkowski is “pretty certain” he’ll be back with the Patriots as long as Tom Brady stays, lingering frustrations remain between Gronkowski and coach Bill Belichick, along with others in the organization, according to sources. AP Photo/Chris O’Meara

For Belichick, since the season’s end, sources say he has expressed frustration with those close to him about Gronkowski, specifically questioning whether he remains “all-in,” a critical aspect of Belichick’s blueprint for success.

Examples of Belichick’s frustrations are as nuanced as his discontent with Gronkowski’s message in a recent Instagram post regarding former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola, who left New England to sign a contract with the Miami Dolphins. Beneath a video of him hugging Amendola that Gronkowski posted on March 14, he wrote, in part, “Be FREE, Be HAPPY (sic).”

Should the offseason continue to create a sense within Gronkowski that he is fully committed to football, many close to Gronkowski and Belichick say they believe the friction between the two will ease. Although the discord should not be discounted, as one source explained, it should not be viewed as irreconcilable.

For now, the situation surrounding Gronkowski continues to percolate behind the scenes while all sides remain generally vague in public forums. With the NFL draft still more than three weeks away, there is time for the situation to rectify itself.

Should the silence linger deeper into April, however, all possibilities remain on the table.

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