Should the New England Patriots want to pursue DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr. or even Jerry Jeudy, it seems they'll have to compete with one less team in those respective markets.
The Dallas Cowboys were firmly entrenched in the receiver market over the last few weeks. Dallas was tied to Hopkins, Beckham and Jeudy, though it continues to look like the Denver Broncos wideout would be the most difficult to acquire. However, with the Cowboys trade for Brandin Cooks on Sunday morning, it'd be fair to assume Dallas now is not as big of a player in the market.
ESPN's Ed Werder reported shortly after Dallas' trade for Cooks the Cowboys now are likely out on Beckham. And while Hopkins reportedly would have "welcomed a trade" to Dallas prior to this weekend, it's since been speculated Cooks gives the Cowboys the complement to CeeDee Lamb they wanted this offseason.
Dallas, however, only had to part with a fifth- and second-round pick to acquire Cooks from the Houston Texans. And Houston is paying $6 million of Cooks' $18 million in 2023, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Those two aspects keep it possible, although unlikely, that Dallas doubles down on the position. The Cowboys clearly felt they had a better deal for Cooks.
It feels like a positive development for the Patriots considering their reported interest in Hopkins, specifically. Perhaps the second-round pick that Arizona wanted for Hopkins before the Cooks trade now becomes a lesser price, too. Regardless, if the Patriots were out on Cooks, which it seems like they were, the veteran seemingly landed in a good spot for Bill Belichick and company.
