Arizona acquired Chandler Jones from New England for guard…
Arizona acquired Chandler Jones from New England for guard Jonathan Cooper and the 61st pick in the 2016 draft. Jones became one of the Cardinals' best pass rushers, recording 71.5 sacks in six seasons. New England later traded the second-rounder and turned the return into picks used on Joe Thuney and Malcolm Mitchell, creating substantial value of its own.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Chandler Jones
New England Patriots Received
- player Jonathan Cooper
- pick 2016 2nd round pick (61st overall subsequently traded, Vonn Bell )
Trade Analysis
Arizona traded for Chandler Jones at a moment when New England faced a familiar roster decision: pay a productive pass rusher approaching a major contract or turn him into younger, cheaper assets. The Cardinals were willing to take the other side of that equation. They sent guard Jonathan Cooper and the 61st pick in the 2016 draft to the Patriots for a defender who had already recorded 36 sacks in four New England seasons.
Jones became exactly the player Arizona hoped it was acquiring. He posted 11 sacks in 2016, 17 in 2017, 13 in 2018 and a career-high 19 in 2019. After an injury-shortened 2020 season, he added 10.5 more in 2021. The Cardinals credited him with 71.5 sacks over six seasons, and his best years placed him among the most disruptive edge defenders in football. Arizona gave up significant value, but it received sustained premium-position production rather than a brief peak.
New England's side is more interesting than the original return suggests. Cooper never became a meaningful contributor for the Patriots and was released during the 2016 season. The second-round pick mattered much more. New England traded No. 61 to New Orleans and received picks that became guard Joe Thuney at No. 78 and receiver Malcolm Mitchell at No. 112. Thuney started every regular-season game over his first four seasons, started 10 postseason games during that span and became a two-time Super Bowl champion with New England. Mitchell contributed immediately as a rookie, catching 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns.
Arizona still gets the stronger grade because Jones delivered six years of high-end pass rushing and 71.5 sacks. Yet this was not a case in which New England simply gave away a star. The Patriots transformed the draft portion of the return into a long-term starting lineman and a useful rookie receiver who contributed to a championship team. The result fits both organizations' strategies: Arizona paid for established impact, while New England used flexibility and draft movement to replenish the roster at lower cost.