Arizona Cardinals Take Early Benefit, New England Patriots Think Long-Term

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Dianna Marie Russini, the New England Patriots trade defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals for offensive guard Jonathan Cooper and a second-round pick.

Before bowing our heads and worshiping New England Patriots mastermind Bill Belichick as a genius in all transactions, let’s delve into why the latest trade bodes well for the Patriots. Hint: It’s not because they’re acquiring offensive guard Jonathan Cooper.

The Arizona Cardinals send a second-round pick and Cooper to the Patriots. For those not in the know, Cooper was a No. 7 overall pick in the draft. He missed his entire rookie season with a broken leg and struggled with injuries as well as subpar play in the following two seasons.

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According to Darren Urban, a reporter for the team’s official website, head coach Bruce Arians decided to bench Cooper after he missed a couple of games with a knee injury in favor of offensive lineman Ted Larsen, who finished the final seven regular season games at right guard:

Cardinals radio announcer Dave Pasch provided foreshadowing context prior to the actual benching (h/t Revengeofthebirds.com writer Jess Root):

“They (the coaching staff) were not happy with Coop going into last week’s game (in Pittsburgh),” he said (near the 1:54:40 mark of the show).  “In fact, there was some talk that if Coop struggled, that they were going to pull him.”

Root went on to pose the big question for Cooper’s return on investment:

“Is he a top 10 draft bust? Perhaps that is harsh, but in three years, he has been injured, been on the bench and now was in danger of landing on the bench. That isn’t what you want from someone drafted so highly.”

It’s not the targeted player that makes Belichick wise in this particular case. Cooper hasn’t lived up to expectations over the past three seasons.

However, the Patriots forfeited a first-round pick due to Deflategate and recovered a high replacement pick to cover their loss. New England now holds back-to-back selections at No. 60 and No. 61, which deserve praise.

Secondly, based on Belichick’s track record, he might have also dealt a player one year early instead of one year too late to maximize trade value.

Defensive end Chandler Jones drew some question marks in a recent incident involving synthetic marijuana, per Boston Globe columnist Christopher Gasper which likely played a part in shipping him off:

He’s entering a contract year and will look for a sizeable payout in the offseason as a premier pass-rusher.

Belichick may not have been willing to pay the high price tag and decided to make the move to acquire something of value before losing him in 2017.

For the Cardinals, they dump an underachieving player who stumbled out of the gate with an injury and never solidified his spot on the offensive line and acquire an edge-rusher averaging nine sacks per year.

More nfl spin zone: New England Patriots Win Chandler Jones Trade with Cardinals

In 2015, Arizona ranked 20th in sacks (36) and struggled in spots to heat up the pocket with pressure. Aside from safety, outside linebacker ranked as the highest roster need for the Cardinals headed toward the draft. The front office essentially flipped a second-round pick into a proven commodity.

If Belichick didn’t plan on paying Jones at the end of the upcoming season, it’s a good move for both teams. The Cardinals benefit from Jones’ immediate impact, and the Patriots piece together consecutive picks.

To realize Belichick’s brilliance in this exchange, you have to look past the player and consider the long-term vision for the roster and financial balance. However, it’s also fair to acknowledge the gamble in trading away a premier pass-rusher, who’s racked up the 12th-most sacks over the past four seasons to trust in the draft scout team.

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