The New England Patriots have parted ways with a number of key offensive players this offseason. The most recent being wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

The move came as a bit of a surprise considering how well Cooks played last season. However, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss, he says there are no hard feelings between him and head coach Bill Belichick:

“It's part of the game, the business of it. So much respect for Bill [Belichick] and that organization on how they went about it … To be closer to home, back on the West Coast where the sun is shining every single day, you can't complain about that.”

The move was a bit shocking, to say the least. The Patriots had acquired Cooks via trade from the New Orleans Saints prior to the 2017 NFL season. He enjoyed another stellar year after amassing 65 catches for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns. In doing so, he became just the fourth player in NFL history to record at least 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns in three consecutive seasons before his 25th birthday.

However, it seems the prospect of acquiring a first-round and sixth-round pick from the Rams was too much on pass upon for Belichick. As a result, he now finds himself on his third team in three years. Fortunately, there has been some indication from Los Angeles about working out a potential long-term deal. That said, things may ultimately work out well for both sides.