The New England Patriots continued to remake their roster Friday, acquiring wide receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive end Kony Ealy in a pair of trades while losing four players to free agency.

The Patriots gave up their first- and third-round picks in the April draft to obtain Cooks, who played his first three seasons with the New Orleans Saints. The 23-year-old Cooks caught 78 passes for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns last season for New Orleans, and was similarly productive in 2015.

New England received a fourth-round pick as part of the trade.

Earlier Friday, the Patriots sent their second-round draft pick to Carolina for defensive end Kony Ealy and the Panthers’ third-round pick. New England’s pick was No. 64 overall, while Carolina’s pick was No. 72.

Ealy had three sacks in the Super Bowl against Denver two years ago, but struggled to build on that success last season and never developed into the dominant pass rusher the team hoped he would become.

He became expendable when the Panthers agreed to terms with Julius Peppers earlier in the day. But Ealy could have value for New England, which is looking to replace the production of Chris Long. Long, who just completed the one-year deal he signed with the Patriots, recently announced his intention to sign elsewhere.

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Meanwhile, cornerback Logan Ryan, tight end Martellus Bennett, and linebackers Jabaal Sheard and Barkevious Mingo all found new teams.

Bennett, who turned 30 on Friday, signed with the Green Bay Packers. He had 55 receptions for 701 yards and seven touchdowns in his only season with the Patriots.

Ryan signed a multiyear deal late Thursday night with the Tennessee Titans. He will earn $30 million through the next three seasons, according to the NFL Network.

The 26-year-old cornerback was selected in the third round in 2013 and had a successful four years with the Patriots. Ryan developed into a solid No. 2 cornerback opposite of Malcolm Butler over the last two seasons. This past year he moved inside to the slot, and finished with two interceptions and 11 passes defensed.

Sheard and Mingo both signed with the Colts. Both players began their NFL careers with Cleveland before joining the Patriots – Sheard in 2015, Mingo in 2016.

PATRIOTS BACKUP quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said goodbye to Boston on Friday morning.

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Or did he?

Garoppolo, the subject of trade rumors involving Cleveland, had a post on his certified Instagram account of himself holding the Vince Lombardi trophy following New England’s recent Super Bowl win with the message “So grateful for my time in New England. Peace out Boston.”

Although the Patriots have denied that Garoppolo – who made two starts in place of the suspended Tom Brady last season – will be traded, that hasn’t stopped speculation he could end up with the Browns.

Cleveland, after going 2-14 this season, holds the top pick in the upcoming draft as well as the 12th overall selection. The Browns have been stockpiling draft picks, and the Patriots no longer have a pick in the first two rounds.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Garoppolo’s account had been hacked and the post was a hoax. The Instagram post since has been deleted.


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