Brady and Cooks during last season's AFC Divisional Playoff game. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Patriots decided to take an inexpensive risk on embattled Browns receiver Josh Gordon, with the potential for a huge payoff if he's anything resembling what he was as an All-Pro in 2013, but the Pats traded away a young, talented receiver in the offseason--Brandin Cooks. They didn't want to pay him.
Cooks cashed in with the Rams--five years, $80 million, with $50 million guaranteed.
Now, after a thousand yards in New England, Cooks is off to a good start with 12 catches for 246 yards through two games. Pats receivers--all of them--have totaled just 187 yards on 20 receptions, including three touchdowns.
Tom Brady joined Westwood One last night and was asked if it's frustrating his team wouldn't pony up to keep Cooks.
"There's constant levels of frustration in the NFL, that's part of this sport, and attrition, that's it, a mental toughness, over the course of a long season," Brady said. "It's really learning how to deal with your frustrations, whether it's in-season or off-season, that end up allowing you to perform at your best. I really try to focus on the things that I can control--me playing at a high level, and I think that's served me well. I have weekly frustrations, that's part of football. Any time you're in football as long as I have [been], there's a lot of things that you wish were perfect, but that's not the way the world is."
No frustration if it works out with Gordon.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) reports