Getty Mohamed Sanu Sr.
As the NFL Trade Deadline approaches, the New England Patriots are considered a team of interest with a potential interest in a few players, and they could potentially ship off a few notables like N’Keal Harry or even J.C. Jackson. In examining the history of trade deadline deals that haven’t exactly worked out, Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network compiled a list of the 5 worst trade deadline deals since 2010.
The Patriots were involved in two of the trades that made Rolfe’s list.
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The upcoming deadline may be boring for the Patriots, aside from a smaller, depth-related deal or two, but some of the deals we’ve seen over the years have involved potential game-changers.
I wouldn’t bet on the Patriots pulling off that sort of a trade, but the possibility is what breeds the excitement for this time of year on the NFL calendar.
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The Mohamed Sanu Trade Was Listed at No. 2
The Patriots haven’t had great fortunes in their pursuit of impact players at wide receiver over the past decade. The trade that landed the team Mohamed Sanu is one of the primary examples of the Patriots’ failure to add a game-changer at the position.
Rolfe slammed the Patriots for their acquisition of Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons during the 2019 season. Rolfe wrote:
In what would be Tom Brady’s final season in New England, the Patriots were linked to a number of wide receivers heading into the trade deadline. They ultimately traded for Atlanta Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu, sending a second-round pick to Atlanta. A versatile weapon, hopes were high for Sanu in New England. However, in eight games with the Patriots, Sanu would manage just 26 receptions on 47 targets for 207 yards and 1 touchdown. Sanu would catch just 1 of his 5 targets in the playoffs as the Patriots crashed out to the Titans in the AFC Wild Card Round.
Sanu was on the Patriots’ roster ahead of the 2020 season, but the team chose to release him, despite the veteran putting in tons of work to prepare himself for the campaign. New England was incredibly thin at the position last season as Cam Newton had virtually no weapons and almost no experienced pass-catchers–especially with Julian Edelman hobbled all year before calling it a career in the offseason.
Still, Belichick and Co. chose to move on from Sanu. According to Sanu, who revealed the details to his release on the DNP-CD podcast, he was asked to take a pay cut to remain on the roster, and he refused.
This is ultimately what led to his release. You can hear and see the interview below.
Mohamed Sanu Sr. drops an exclusive on our show. When the @Patriots cut him a lot of people were scratching their heads since they just just traded a 2nd-round pick for him.
Here, for the first time, Sanu explains what led to his exit in New England
The Jamie Collins Trade to the Browns Was Listed at No. 4
Rolfe took a shot at both the Patriots and the Cleveland Browns for the 2017 deal that sent Jamie Collins from New England to the Dawg Pound.
Rolfe wrote:
The Patriots left the NFL world confused when they traded away their linebacker just seven games into the 2016 season. Jamie Collins had been voted to the Pro Bowl the previous season and was viewed as one of the premier defensive talents in the NFL at the time. The Browns clearly agreed, sending a third-round pick to New England and later signing him to a four-year, $50 million contract. Included in that deal was $26.4 million in guaranteed money. Collins managed 7 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in Cleveland, but after struggling in both 2018 and 2019, he was released with two years remaining on his contract.
The Collins trade was vintage Belichick. He dumped Collins perhaps a year too soon, but the franchise’s mantra under Belichick has seemingly been move on too soon rather than too late.
Clearly, the Patriots love Collins as the team just brought him back for his third run in New England when he was signed after being released by the Detroit Lions. There is a pattern here with Collins. The Patriots repeatedly allow other teams (the Browns and Lions) to pay Collins big free-agent deals, while they have essentially benefitted from his best years on a budget. Per Spotrac, the Patriots have never paid Collins more than $2 million in a season.
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