The New England Patriots won another trade they weren’t even involved in

The Oakland Raiders shocked everyone when they traded WR Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys Monday afternoon for a first-round pick.

The trade itself perhaps wasn’t so shocking, but getting a first-round pick in return was. At least, with the way Cooper’s past year and a half have gone.

Cooper had a solid first two seasons in the NFL. In both seasons he had at least 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. Since then however, he’s dropped off, having just 680 yards receiving last season, and just 280 through six games of the 2018 season. With that kind of decline, a first-round pick seems kind of excessive.

Especially when you look at what the New England Patriots did in September by trading with the Browns for Josh Gordon, giving up just a fifth-round pick. Sure, one could argue are more risks with Gordon based on his history, but the potential reward has proven to be much greater.

At his best, Gordon had 1,646 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2013 with Jason Campbell, Brandon Weeden, and Brian Hoyer throwing him the football. Line him up with Tom Brady? Things don’t seem like they could get much easier as he works his way back into a football routine.

Like this:

This:

And this:

Gordon’s role with the Patriots hasn’t brought the change that trading for Randy Moss has (LOL — that’s a super high bar to clear), but it hasn’t been for nothing. He’s got 13 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown in four games, all of which they have won.

And the Patriots know they got a steal, as Julian Edelman made clear:

“He’s a threat. He goes down the field and makes plays. He’s come in and he’s worked hard ... I just want to say thanks to the league. It’s pretty cool to have a guy like him and play with a dynamic player.”

All of those plays, and endless potential in exchange for a fifth-round pick is a great value. That’s not to say the Cooper trade won’t work out for the Cowboys just as well, if not better — it certainly could.

But the Cowboys could have prevented the Patriots from getting such a talent as Gordon, and would still have a first-round pick at their disposal.

Of course, this is why the Patriots are the Patriots, and everybody else is everybody else.