Both the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals were one game away from the Super Bowl last season and each has aspirations of getting to the big game next season.
Each, however, knows that some changes need to be made in order to get over that hump and it just so happened that they were able to help each other out.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Patriots agreed to trade defensive end Chandler Jones to the Cardinals in exchange for guard Jonathan Cooper and the Cardinals’ second round pick:
Cards-Pats blockbuster from @diannaESPN and me: Cards trade G Jonathan Cooper + 2nd-rd pick to NE for DE Chandler Jones, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2016
The trade makes sense for both sides and addresses a major issue for each team. Despite an excellent defense, the Cardinals struggled to get pressure on the quarterback and Jones is one of the best pass rushers in football.
The Patriots issues on the offensive line and keeping Tom Brady is of the utmost importance so adding a former first-round pick in Cooper should help. Additionally, adding another second-round pick will help make up for their lack of a first-round pick since it was stripped by the NFL because of the ‘Deflate Gate’ controversy.
This NFL off-season has been full of many big names changing places as teams look to take that next step. The Cardinals and Patriots each just plugged a huge hole with this move in hopes of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next year.
