The Los Angeles Rams are off to a hot start out of the gate to the 2018 season that has seen their offense lead the charge with offseason addition wide receiver Brandin Cooks being a major factor in the success. It has brought much attention back to the Rams being able to complete a trade over the offseason for Cooks from the New England Patriots with them parting with a first-round and sixth-round selection in the deal.
In a recent piece done by Gary Klein of the LA Times, it detailed the entire process of how the Rams got to the point that saw head coach Sean McVay becoming the one that essentially did the negotiating with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to get the trade agreed upon.
Snead: He really just walked down the hall [to make the final call]. I told him, “OK, you’re going to talk to coach Belichick. We’d like to get it done for this but we know it’s going to take this.” The only thing we laughed about was the sixth-rounder we threw in there. There’s no way we’re telling coach Belichick we’re not [getting this done] because of a sixth-round pick, so just go ahead and give it to him.
McVay: It’s one of those moments where I think you feel so fortunate and blessed to be in this role. I am a fan of coaching, so when you get a chance to interact with coach Belichick, it was a pretty cool experience.
All of this began with their relationship being struck up with their meeting together at Georgia for a clinic. It took some time after that event for McVay to get to that point where both sides could comfortably discuss Cooks in any matter.
There was also the fact that the Patriots had initially shut the door on the idea of moving Cooks until several lucrative deals on the open market were worked with the likes of Sammy Watkins, Allen Robinson, and Mike Evans. These contracts had pushed up the asking price beyond they were willing to offer. In essence, this helped the Rams to ease into the conversation to a greater extent that saw Belichick and the Patriots shift toward being open to moving the 25-year-old and allow for McVay to work his way toward getting a deal done.
Cooks has quickly made the most of his new surroundings currently being among the most productive players at his position in the league through the first four weeks, tallying 26 receptions for 452 receiving yards and a touchdown. Although the rest of the league has yet to play in Week 4, he ranks sixth in receptions, second in yards, and fifth in receiving yards per game (113.0). He has notched at least five catches and more than 85 receiving yards in each game. He has also recorded a pair of 100 receiving yard games. Cooks is off to a promising start in what could potentially give the Rams one of their key pieces toward contending for a Super Bowl.
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