Used him like a 50/50 WR chucking it downfield no matter the coverage like they would with Moss. That's not Cooks' game. He's a downfield threat, but he hates contested catches. He ran both short and long routes in NO, not so much in NE. I envisioned him to be used like Deion Branch and Wes Welker running screens/short routes picking up cheap yards and setting up the intermediate and occasional big play which Branch did. All year he looked uncomfortable in the Pats offense.
And they did facing Cooks who dropped a game changing TD with the slightest bit of contact. Bill didn't want to pay him because he was as soft as Charmin and not good enough to warrant the price tag he was seeking.
Him dancing around for no reason and getting knocked out in the prior Super Bowl didn't help either. There's a reason he kept getting traded.
$18M is way too much for him. Apply that money towards a real difference maker.
