When the Patriots traded Brandin Cooks to the Rams on Tuesday, my first reaction was surprise, and I’d imagine most Patriots fans felt the same. But within minutes I realized that there was really nothing surprising about the move at all. Rich and others have already gone into how great of a value the Patriots got back in the trade, but that’s besides the point. Brandin Cooks is just the next name in a long list of players that Bill Belichick traded a year early, sensing a ridiculous market in the future.
From Tebucky Jones to Deion Branch to Ellis Hobbs to Richard Seymour to Logan Mankins to Chandler Jones to Jamie Collins to Brandin Cooks.