Rams Want To Extend Brandin Cooks’ Deal
The Rams aren’t wasting any time in getting down to business with Brandin Cooks. The Rams have already expressed interest in extending the wide receiver’s contract, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter). 
Cooks is entering his contract year and will carry a cap number just under $8.5MM. Having sacrificed a first-round pick for him, the Rams were expected to try and lock him up for the long term, but not necessarily this quickly. Keeping with the theme of this offseason, L.A. is moving quickly and aggressively on this front.
A new deal for Cooks won’t come cheap. This offseson, Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans inked a five-year, $82.5MM extension with $55MM in overall guarantees. The deal, which could balloon to nearly $96MM through incentives, stands as the new watermark for receivers in terms of overall value. Evans is also second in average annual value at $17MM/year, trailing only Steelers superstar Antonio Brown. Cooks may not command a deal to match Evans, but he won’t be far off, either.
Cooks, a former first round pick out of Oregon State, had 65 grabs for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Between 2015 and 2016 for New Orleans, he averaged 81 grabs for 1,156 yards and eight scores.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/3/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: CB C.J. Goodwin, RB Elijhaa Penny, DL Olsen Pierre, and OL John Wetzel (all ERFAs)
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Bucky Hodges
Tennessee Titans
- Re-signed: G Quinton Spain (RFA)
Patriots Won’t Pursue Odell Beckham Jr.
The Patriots have picked up another first-round pick thanks to the Brandin Cooks trade, leading to speculation that they could parlay their draft capital into a trade for Odell Beckham Jr. The word, for now, is that will not be happening. The Cooks deal is not a precursor to an attempt to land Beckham, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears (on Twitter). 
The Giants are seeking at least two first-round picks for Beckham and the Patriots now have selections at No. 23 and No. 31 in the current draft to work with. However, the Patriots are believed to have traded Cooks in part because he is entering his contract year. Trading for Beckham Jr. would put the Patriots in an even more expensive predicament than they were facing with Cooks, not to mention the sacrifice of serious draft value.
Beckham, 26 in November, was among the game’s most spectacular wide receivers up until an injury cut his 2017 season short. In 2016, OBJ had 101 catches for 1,367 yards and ten touchdowns en route to his third career Pro Bowl selection. He’d be exceptionally dangerous in the Patriots’ offense, but it sounds like that dream scenario won’t be coming to fruition.
Patriots Trade Brandin Cooks To Rams
The Patriots have traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Rams, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The deal will see Cooks and a fourth round pick head to Los Angeles. In return, the Pats will receive a first-round pick and a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. 
The Pats now have the No. 23 overall pick in the draft to pair with their original selection at No. 31. With those two selections, the Pats could conceivably explore trades to get into the top half of the first round or keep them in order to fill multiple urgent needs. Further down the line, the Patriots also own two second round picks at Nos. 43 and 63.
The Rams have been extremely aggressive this offseason and Cooks is just the latest high-profile addition, joining the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. In recent weeks, the Rams have been tied to Giants superstar Odell Beckham Jr., but they have found a different standout wide receiver in Cooks. The Pats, meanwhile, could hypothetically turn their attention to OBJ now that they are armed with two first-round picks, but that apparently is not in the cards.
Cooks may not be of the very top tier of wide receivers like OBJ, but he’s not far off. The former first-round pick does not turn 25 until September and has three consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons under his belt. Last year, he set a new career high with 16.6 yards per reception while finding the end zone seven times.
Cooks will now serve as the Rams’ top receiver, arguably giving the team an upgrade over the departed Sammy Watkins. Robert Woods and rising sophomores Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds will return and the Rams may still look to improve that group between now and the fall.
Cooks is set to enter the option year on his rookie deal, worth $8.459MM. The Rams can continue to control him through the 2019 season with the franchise tag, but he’ll probably seek out a fresh multi-year pact. Knowing the Patriots, it’s likely that Bill Belichick & Co. were wary of having to extend him given the boom of the WR market this year.
You can now add wide receiver to the Patriots’ list of needs as they approach the draft in April. As it stands, Chris Hogan, Julian Edelman, Kenny Britt, and Phillip Dorsett comprise the top of the team’s wide receiver depth chart. While there’s potential there – particularly in Britt and Dorsett – the Pats presently lack a strong No. 1 WR type for Tom Brady to target. Brady will also be without the services of Danny Amendola, who left New England after five seasons to sign with the rival Dolphins.
[RELATED: Rams Depth Chart]
Colts Meet With CB Kenneth Acker
Former Chiefs and 49ers cornerback Kenneth Acker visited the Colts on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Acker could help to provide support in what is a very thin positional group. 
The Colts re-signed corner Pierre Desir this season, but they watched Rashaan Melvin leave in free agency to join up with the Raiders. Replacing Melvin won’t be easy. The former undrafted free agent started in all ten of his games last season and graded out as a top 20 cornerback, per the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. Acker probably would not profile a starter for Indianapolis, but he could offer depth from the bench. The Seahawks also have some interest in him.
In other Colts news, GM Chris Ballard recently discussed the team’s offseason, which has not been as headline-grabbing as other teams in the AFC.
Patriots To Meet With WR Jordan Matthews
Former Bills wide receiver Jordan Matthews will meet with the Patriots on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cardinals free agent tight end Troy Niklas is also meeting with the Pats, Yates adds. 
Matthews met with the Packers and Cardinals in March, but left both visits without signing a deal. This time last year, the 25-year-old (26 in July) projected to be a high-end commodity in this year’s free agent market. Unfortunately, he had only 25 catches in ten games for the Bills last year thanks to knee and ankle injuries, so he’s probably looking at a one-year deal to restore his value.
From 2014-16, Matthews averaged 75 receptions for 891 yards and six touchdowns for the Eagles. He says he’s healthy now, so he could prove to be a valuable pickup for the Pats as they look to replace Danny Amendola‘s production.
Niklas, 26 in September, saw time in 414 snaps for the Cardinals last year and served primarily as a blocker. He hasn’t exactly lived up to his second-round draft status, but the Patriots may see potential in the athletic Notre Dame product.
Jets Claim TE Clive Walford
The Jets have a new tight end. On Monday, the Jets were awarded Clive Walford off waivers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Walford, 27 in October, was released by the Raiders late last week. Walford had some involvement in the Raiders’ offense over the first two seasons of his career, but he was hardly a factor last year thanks to the addition of Jared Cook. Walford averaged 30 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns between 2015 and ’16. Then, last year, he had just nine catches for 80 yards and no scores.
The good news is that Walford could have a chance to shine in New York. The Jets allowed Austin Seferian-Jenkins to leave in free agency, so he projects as the team’s top tight end over Eric Tomlinson and Jordan Leggett. The Jets could still strengthen that area in the draft, but they may be hard-pressed to find a better option than Walford since their No. 3 overall pick will be used on a quarterback and they don’t pick again until the third round (No. 72 overall).
Thanks to their 5-11 finish last season, the Jets have the sixth-highest waiver priority in the NFL this offseason. Only the Browns, Giants, Colts, Texans, and Broncos could have prevented the Jets from landing Walford.
Josh Rosen Will Play For Whoever Drafts Him
Josh Rosen‘s former head coach isn’t sure that he’d be a fit for the Browns, but Jim Mora‘s comments are not part of a conspiracy to steer Cleveland away from him. The UCLA product will not refuse to play for Cleveland or any other team, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
[RELATED: Josh Rosen To Meet With Seven Teams]
This is not the first time we’ve heard speculation about a top prospect trying to avoid the Browns. Last summer, there were rumblings that Sam Darnold could hold off on his draft decision until the identity of the team at No. 1 overall was determined. Apparently, none of this year’s top four QBs have any reservations about the Browns as Rosen, Darnold, Mayfield, and Allen have all publicly welcomed the challenge of righting the ship in Cleveland.
Most prognosticators have the Browns zeroing in on Darnold or Allen, but GM John Dorsey says that the team is still open to all options at No. 1. They’ll meet with Rosen this week and he’s unquestionably in the mix after turning in the best completion percentage (62.6%) and touchdown/interception ratio (26/10) of his collegiate career in 2017.
The Fifth-Year Option
Over the next several weeks, we’ll be passing along a number of reports relating to the fifth-year option, which a team can exercise on a 2015 first-round pick who is currently in the fourth year of his rookie contract. Last month, the Panthers informally got the party started when word leaked out that they’ll be exercising the 2019 option for linebacker Shaq Thompson.
So what exactly is the fifth-year option? Essentially, it’s a way to extend a player’s rookie contract by an extra year, at the club’s discretion. Players 
don’t have any say in whether or not these options are picked up, though players and teams are still free to negotiate longer-term contracts that would render the fifth-year option unnecessary. Otherwise though, the decision is in the hands of the team, and must be made by May 3 in the player’s fourth season. So, barring multiyear extensions, 2015 first-rounders like Marcus Mariota, Amari Cooper, and Marcus Peters will likely see their options exercised within the next month.
For top-10 picks, the amount of each player’s 2019 option has already been determined. The fifth-year salary for a top-10 pick is equal to the transition tender at the player’s position during his fourth season. So, because the transition tag for quarterbacks this year was $20.922MM, we already know that Mariota’s fifth-year option will be worth that amount.
For first-rounders picked outside the top 10, the calculation is a little more complicated. These players’ fifth-year option also relies on the previous year’s salaries at the player’s position, but it’s determined by the average of the third through 25th top salaries at that position. So we could come up with estimates for the 2019 option salary for players like Melvin Gordon, Byron Jones, and Trae Waynes, but they’re not set in stone quite yet.
Fifth-year options are guaranteed for injury only between May 3 and the start of the following league year. As such, they’re not entirely risk-free, but as long as the player remains healthy, a team could exercise his fifth-year option, then cut him before his option year gets underway without being on the hook for his salary. When the league year begins, the player’s fifth-year salary becomes guaranteed for skill and cap purposes, as well as injury.
Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. This post was modified from an early entry by editor emeritus Luke Adams.
Baker Mayfield To Meet With Seven Teams
Baker Mayfield‘s April figures to be busy. The Oklahoma signal caller will meet with the Browns, Bills, Jets, Giants, Dolphins, Broncos, and Cardinals, Robert Klemko of The MMQB reports. 
The Giants will sit down with Mayfield before the Jets, Manish Mehta of the Daily News adds. He’ll meet with the G-Men on April 8 and 9 before continuing his pre-draft tour with the Jets on April 9 and 10. The Jets conducted a private workout with Mayfield in Oklahoma on March 24, fueling speculation that he could be among the QBs in consideration for them at No. 3 overall.
Mayfield was last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, but some evaluators question whether he has the height to succeed at the next level. There are also some character concerns thanks to his actions during games against Ohio State and Kansas and a public intoxication arrest.
Most of the teams in this bunch were expected to show interest in Mayfield, but the Dolphins and Broncos are not obvious fits for him given the presence of Ryan Tannehill and Case Keenum, respectively. The Cardinals make more sense for Mayfield since Sam Bradford is not necessarily a long-term answer under center and the Bills are also a logical fit since they are not completely locked in on A.J. McCarron as their starter for 2018. Unlike the Dolphins and Cardinals, the Bills have ample ammo to move up for Mayfield with the Nos. 12 and No 22 picks in their possession.