FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they acquired G Jonathan Cooper and a 2016 second-round draft pick (61st overall) in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for DE Chandler Jones.
Cooper, 26, is a veteran of three NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. The 6-foot-2, 312-pounder originally joined Arizona as a first-round draft pick (seventh overall) out of North Carolina in the 2013 NFL Draft. After missing his entire rookie season in 2013 due to injury, Cooper appeared in 10 games with two starts at left guard in 2014. Last season, Cooper played in 14 games with nine starts at right guard. He played as a reserve in both of the Arizona postseason games. Cooper started a school record of 48 games for North Carolina and was a three-time All-ACC selection and earned All-America honors as a senior.
Jones, 26, is a veteran of four seasons with New England after joining the team as a first-round draft pick (21st overall) out of Syracuse in the 2012 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder, played in 55 games with 52 starts and accumulated 217 total tackles, 36 sacks, one interception, nine passes defensed, 10 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He played in nine postseason games with eight starts and added 18 total tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble.
