Patriots trade receiver Brandin Cook to Rams for a first-round draft pick

Tom Brady is losing one of his top receivers, and Jared Goff is getting a speedy new target.

The New England Patriots traded receiver Brandin Cooks to the Rams on Tuesday for Los Angeles' first-round draft pick, the 23rd overall.

New England also sent a fourth-round choice to the Rams, and the Patriots got a sixth-rounder from Los Angeles.

Cooks, 24, had 65 catches for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns in his only season with the Patriots. His receiving stats were second on the defending AFC champions' roster only to tight end Rob Gronkowski, who barely topped Cooks in all three categories.

Cooks' clear chemistry with Brady makes the trade fairly surprising for New England, particularly after the recent departure of another favorite Brady target, Danny Amendola, who signed with the Dolphins.

But the defending NFC West champion Rams made an aggressive offer to secure a potential No. 1 receiver and proven deep threat just three weeks after the departure of Sammy Watkins, who got a three-year, $48 million deal from the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.

The move comes after weeks of rumors about the Rams' interest in acquiring star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants.

• Philadelphia agreed on a one-year contract with linebacker Paul Worrilow, who started eight games for Detroit last season.

• The New York Jets signed tight end Bucky Hodges, a sixth-round draft pick of the Vikings last year. He was waived last September after suffering a preseason concussion.

The fight of the year is off. Canelo Alvarez withdrew from next month's middleweight title bout against Gennady Golovkin, two months after Alvarez twice tested positive for a banned substance.

The May 5 fight in Las Vegas was to have been a rematch of the draw they fought last September. It was unlikely the Nevada State Athletic Commission would approve the fight after it temporarily suspended Alvarez, who could face a longer suspension.

U.S. boxer Deontay Wilder said he's willing to travel to Britain to fight Anthony Joshua in a heavyweight unification bout on Joshua's turf.

Olympics: Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, the most decorated male Winter Olympian in history with 13 medals, announced his retirement. Bjoerndalen, 44, failed to qualify for the Pyeongchang Games and revealed he dealt with heart murmurs during the season. … Seven countries are interested in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics. Cities in Austria, Canada, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey have submitted formal expressions of interest to the International Olympic Committee.

College athletics: Idaho athletic director Rob Spear was placed on administrative leave for 60 days as school officials investigate concerns that he mishandled past reports of sexual harassment involving student-athletes.

Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to help Real Madrid beat Juventus 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. Bayern Munich beat Sevilla 2-1 in another quarterfinal. … MLS' Toronto FC beat Mexico's Club America 3-1 in Toronto in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League semifinal.