The New England Patriots are paying the price of success in the offseason once more after winning yet another Lombardi Trophy.
Opposing teams have already began to vulture a good number of New England's key pieces from last season's Super Bowl-winning campaign, with two standouts in defensive end Trey Flowers and guard Trent Brown both finding new homes.
As the Patriots look to rebuild their roster for another title run in 2019, their focus has been directed towards signing a new offensive weapon. As such, they've placed their sights on Oakland Raiders tight end Jared Cook.
Cook had his best season as a pro last year, finishing with career-highs of 68 catches, 896 receiving yards, and six touchdowns. He was also the only bright spot on Oakland's receiving corps that clearly lacked depth at the wideout spots.
The Athletic's Vic Tafur tweeted that New England has shown interest in signing the 10-year veteran to give quarterback Tom Brady another viable target at the tight end position:
Jared Cook visiting the #Saints tomorrow, as @RapSheet said. #Patriots also interested, and Raiders are monitoring TE's market,
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) March 13, 2019
Apart from how things work out in the upcoming meeting with the New Orleans Saints, Cook's odds of becoming a Patriot largely hinges on the decision of Rob Gronkowski, who's contemplating on retiring from football.
Should Gronk opt to hang up his cleats, New England ought to do everything in its power to secure a reliable tight end like Cook who can become Brady's next safety valve inn the passing game.
However, time isn't on their side at the moment, as the Saints will likely make an offer that Cook can't refuse before anybody else in the league can get a shot at signing the much-improved pass-catcher.
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