The New England Patriots decided to part ways with wide receiver Brandin Cooks by trading him to the Los Angeles Rams after they just acquired him in a trade last offseason. As it turns out, though, the Pats did attempt to keep Cooks long-term as they held talks for a possible extension which eventually broke off, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

It shouldn't be too surprising that the Patriots tried to re-sign Cooks. He had a strong year in New England, putting up 65 catches for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns.

However, he was in the final year of his rookie deal, so the Patriots were under pressure to get a deal done this offseason. If they didn’t, they risked seeing Cooks leave in free agency for nothing next year. And after a handful of key players did so this offseason, they likely didn't want that to happen again.

So when talks broke down, the Pats understandably didn’t want to take any risks and opted to cash in on Cooks as quickly as possible. The Rams were able to swoop in with their offer, and the rest is history.

With Cooks following Danny Amendola’s footsteps out of New England, the Patriots are looking a bit light at receiver. They will have Tom Brady favorite Julian Edelman back after he missed all of last season with a torn ACL. The chances of tight end Rob Gronkowski staying on in New England amid trade rumors also likely increased after Cooks’ departure.

However, losing a 1,000-yard receiver like Cooks will not be easy to replace. The likes of Chris Hogan, Kenny Britt, Philip Dorsett, Malcolm Mitchell, and Cordarrelle Patterson will need to step up and fill that void in the receiving corps next season.