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The Los Angeles Rams have acquired receiver Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round pick in a trade with the New England Patriots, a move first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Rams are sending their first-round pick in the upcoming draft (No. 23 selection) and a sixth-round pick to the Patriots, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo noted.

Schefter went on to point out the implications of this deal on Rob Gronkowski and Odell Beckham, both of whom have been the subject of recent trade rumors.

Per Schefter, the Rams acquiring Cooks means Los Angeles is out on Beckham, and the Giants will need another trade partner to make a deal for the mercurial wideout. In addition, New England trading Cooks means they will not be trading Gronkowski this offseason, as some have speculated.

Schefter added the Pats will rely on Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan and Gronkowski, among others, as their primary receiving weapons (Danny Amendola signed with Miami last month as an unrestricted free agent).

Schefter went on to suggest the Patriots and Rams have discussed a potential Cooks trade for over a month, before the Rams and Giants discussed a potential Beckham trade.

The Rams "liked this situation better," Schefter added.

As Profootballtalk.com notes, the trade comes a little more than a year after the Patriots sent a first-round pick and a third-round pick to the Saints to acquire Cooks and a fourth-round pick. He caught 65 passes for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns during his one regular season in New England and caught 10 more passes for 155 yards in the playoffs before being knocked out of the Super Bowl with a concussion.

There was some talk of an extension for Cooks in New England as he’s entering the final year of his rookie deal. He’s set to make $8.5 million this season and it will be up to the Rams to find a way to hold onto him while also trying to hammer out a new deal with defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

For the Rams, the rebuilding of their receiving corps continues.

Remember, the team flipped their position room dramatically from 2016 and had one of the top units in the league last year.

Robert Woods enjoyed a breakthrough year with 56 catches for 781 yards. Rookie Cooper Kupp, a rookie, immediately earned a starting role and had 62 catches for 869 yards. Sammy Watkins, who the Rams traded for in training camp last summer, had 39 catches for 593 yards but moved on to Kansas City as an unrestricted free agent.

Tavon Austin is also in the mix, but Cooks will clearly serve as Jared Goff's primary deep threat going forward.

Cooks had 16 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield last season, tied with DeAndre Hopkins for most in the NFL.

We'll continue to watch for related developments here and report back on the fantasy implications as necessary.

Remember to watch the News and Views section of the site for any breaking stories, while more in-depth analysis can be found here in the Headline News section.