By John Sarianides

The Patriots announced that they will be picking up the fifth year option of wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The decision makes a lot of sense for a variety of reasons.

For starters, it means that Cooks will now be in a Patriots uniform for the next two seasons. It gives Bill Belichick an opportunity to see how Cooks fits into the Patriots offense and if he produces at a high level. 

If Cooks plays as well as the Patriots think he can, then they have two years to figure out if they want to extend him long term. At only 23 years, Cooks is certainly young enough to consider extending long term.

The Patriots essentially drafted Cooks with the 32nd pick in the first round. Cooks was drafted 20th overall by the Saints in 2014. To put that into perspective. Had Cooks been in this draft, he would have been the first receiver off the board. So needless to say. Cooks is a steal for the Patriots. 

Cooks should be a great fit in the Patriots offense given his skill set. I don’t think he will skip a beat from a production stand point. If the production is what it was in New Orleans, there is a good chance the Patriots will look to extend Cooks in 2019.