Patriots Trade Chandler Jones, Acquire Chris Long

The Patriots dealt Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals Tuesday in exchange for guard Jonathan Cooper and a second-round draft pick.

Jones led the Pats in sacks last season with 12.5 and has been a vital part of their defensive line ever since he was named Defensive Rookie of the Month during his first month in the league (September of 2012).

Since then, he’s won an AFC Defensive Player of the Month in November of 2013, a Super Bowl in 2014, and earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2015.

Outside of his synthetic weed incident during the Pats’ first round playoff bye back in January, Chandler managed to stay out of trouble and was a fan favorite throughout Pats Nation.

He’s been known for his positive attitude and often interacts with fans and gives us a peek into his life on Snapchat, providing gems like this one of Gronk jamming to “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj in the car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHsELc0ZK7M

There’s no doubt that Jones will be missed both on and off the field, but this was the right move.

The Patriots have already replaced him, grabbing Chris Long from the St. Louis Rams.  Long is an eight-year NFL veteran whose career year came in 2011 when he recorded 13 sacks, followed by 11.5 in 2012.  He’s only played 18 games total in the last two seasons due to injuries, but the Pats are hoping he’ll be back at full strength in 2016 so he can replace 95.

Jonathan Cooper will obviously help with New England’s most glaring issue, which is the protection of their sacred treasure, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.

As much as I enjoyed Chandler Jones’ time with the Pats, it’s hard to argue that the team got better with the moves that were made on Tuesday.

Follow Jack Bardsley on Twitter @BostonsBigFour

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