Brandin Cooks to Rams. New England and Los Angeles completed a blockbuster last week, as the Patriots sent Cooks and a fourth-round pick to the Rams in exchange for the No. 23 overall selection plus a sixth-rounder. Cooks, who will help replace Sammy Watkins in LA, is entering the final year of his contract, but the Rams have every intention on extending him. The Patriots reportedly discussed a multi-year deal with Cooks before trading him, but they’ve begun to fill his void by signing former Bills wideout Jordan Matthews.
Patriots won’t trade Rob Gronkowski. Now that Cooks is no longer in tow, New England has no intention of shipping out Gronkowski. While reports indicated that rival clubs planned to call the Patriots in regards to Gronk’s availability, New England never gave any real indication that the All Pro tight end was on the table. Gronkowski, of course, is still a dominant player when healthy. In 2017, Gronk was on the field for 14 games, and managed 69 receptions, 1,084 yards, and eight touchdowns, all of which placed him within the top-five among tight ends. He’s signed through the 2019 campaign, with base salaries of $8MM and $9MM over the next two respective seasons.
RG3 is back. After spending the 2017 campaign out of the NFL, Robert Griffin III has returned on a one-year deal with the Ravens. Griffin is now slotted in as the Ravens’ backup quarterback behind starter Joe Flacco, and his addition almost surely means Baltimore will not re-sign former No. 2 signal-caller Ryan Mallett. Flacco has been extremely durable during his decade-long career, so there’s no guarantee that Griffin will see any action during the regular season, but the ex-Offensive Rookie of the Year will have a shot to show what he has left during the preseason.
Saints deploy RFA offer sheet. The Saints inked Bears restricted free agent wide receiver Cameron Meredith to a two-year, $9.6MM offer sheet which includes $5.4MM guaranteed, and because Chicago only tendered Meredith at the original round level, the Bears won’t receive any compensation if they fail to match. Chicago general manager Ryan Pace could have avoided this entire situation by tendering Meredith at the second-round level, a decision which would have only cost the Bears an additional ~$1MM. Before signing a proposal with New Orleans, Meredith was also handed an offer sheet from the Ravens.
Odell Beckham Jr. to report to Giants. Despite weeks of speculation, it remains “highly unlikely” that the Giants will trade Beckham as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. New York was reportedly searching for two first-round picks in exchange for OBJ, but barring a mammoth offer, it appears he’ll be suiting up for Big Blue. Beckham will report to workouts on Monday in something of a goodwill gesture.