The NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone. Once again, it was a quiet day around the league. Bill Belichick is rarely quiet on the trade front.
The Patriots were the most active team over the past few weeks, including shipping off Jamie Collins. Over his career in New England, Bill Belichick has been involved in a high number of trades.
These trades have mostly been used to acquire draft picks (who turned into great players), but some have seen New England ship picks away for star players.
Vince Wilfork, Julian Edelman, Randy Moss and even Rob Gronkowski all came to the Patriots through trades in one way or the other. While some trades seem puzzling (Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins recently), Bill always seems to come out on top.
I’m sure there will be some big trades in his future. Could Garropolo be the next big name to go? The following are Bill Belichick’s 10 best Patriots trades of all time.
10. Traded 2005 6th round pick and 2005 7th round pick for 2005 7th round pick and 2006 5th round pick
This is a typical “make something out of nothing Belichick trade. This is the combination of two trades, however they involved the Patriots’ original picks from the 2005 NFL draft.
First, the coach dealt the 195th and 246th picks to the Green Bay Packers to acquire the 175th pick in the 2005 draft. The Oakland Raiders wanted to get this pick, the first in the sixth round, to draft Anttaj Hawthorne.
Hawthorne played just 18 games over two years and was cut without ever starting for Oakland. In the trade, the Raiders sent a 2006 pick to Foxboro that ended up becoming the third pick of the fifth round.
New England used that pick on offensive tackle Ryan O’Callaghan, but the guy they chose in 2005 at 230 was QB Matt Cassel, who was a big help in Tom Brady‘s lost 2008 season.
9. Traded 2013 1st round pick for a TON of picks from the Vikings
During the 2013 NFL Draft Bill Belichick made yet another move down the board. The Minnesota Vikings badly wanted New England’s pick to select WR Cordarrelle Patterson out of the University of Tennessee.
Of the number of picks the Patriots gained from Minnesota, two are extremely notable. New England selected LB Jamie Collins (recently shipped off to Cleveland), and CB Logan Ryan. Collins made an immediate impact on the Patriots defense with his athletic ability, while Ryan remains a solid number two corner for the team.
8. Traded 2010 1st round pick, and 2010 4th round pick for 2010 1st round pick, 2010 3rd round pick, and a 2010 4th round pick
This is another case of multiple trades made in a single draft. Multiple Pro Bowl NFL players are involved, but it did end up working for New England and Bill Belichick.
The Patriots began with the 22nd pick, which they traded to Denver for the 24th and 113th pick. The Broncos used pick 22 to select Demaryius Thomas.
The 24th pick meanwhile, was traded again. This time the Dallas Cowboys were involved. Dallas sent the 27th and 90th picks to New England in exchange. Dallas drafted Dez Bryant with pick 24.
Sure many fans would love to have Bryant as a WR in New England, but the Patriots did come out of the deal with some great players in their own right. With the 27th pick, the Patriots selected their current starting safety, Devin McCourty.
The 113th pick paid dividends for a while, though no one could predict the players future. The pick was used on TE Aaron Hernandez. He helped New England reach a Super Bowl, but is now of course incarcerated.
7. A 4th round pick for Nose Tackle Ted Washington
Ted Washington was acquired by New England in late August 2003 from the Chicago Bears.
The 6’5″ 375lb nose tackle became a much needed run stopper on the Patriots defense. he tallied 40 total tackles, 2 sacks and forced a fumble in his lone year in Foxboro.
He helped the Patriots win their second Super Bowl that season, against the Carolina Panthers.
6. Shipped QB Matt Cassel and LB Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2nd round pick
The previously mentioned Cassel became a valuable asset as many teams in the NFL were looking for a quarterback.
Belichick and New England of course had their star back in Tom Brady, and they knew Cassel was not next in line for the job (imagine Cassel still here 7 years later).
Linebacker Mike Vrabel was a fan favorite, but was towards the end of his career. Both were sent to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a lone 2nd round pick.
The pick was then used to draft safety Patrick Chung. Though Chung later left the team, he is back now in a starting role.
5. A 2nd round pick for RB Corey Dillon
In 2004 the Patriots finally got a star running back. The Cincinnati Bengals sent Corey Dillon to New England for a 2nd round pick, a steal for mastermind Bill Belichick.
Dillon set career highs and franchise records with 1,635 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He was a major factor in the Patriots win over the Colts in New England’s first playoff game, rushing for 144 yards and catching 5 passes for 17 yards.
New England then won its third Super Bowl against the Eagles. Dillon remained in New England for two more seasons, but injuries limited his production.
4. A 2nd round draft pick and 7th round draft pick for WR Wes Welker
Sure, you may remember Welker for his big drops and numerous concussions. But try real hard to remember the good. Before all of that drama, Wes Welker was one of Bill Belichick’s biggest steals. He was an immediate weapon for Tom Brady and helped lead a high firing Patriots’ offense.
3. Traded a 2003 2nd round pick and 3rd round pick for a 2003 2nd round pick, 4th round pick and a 2004 1st round pick
The Baltimore Ravens were in desperate need for a post-Trent Dilfer QB. They opted to use their 1st round pick on a crazy athletic pass rusher, Terrell Suggs.
The Patriots then, became their trade partner, sending them the 19th overall pick which was used on Kyle Boller. Belichick had gained Baltimore’s 2nd round pick and their 1st round selection the next year.
That 2nd round pick, was traded once again. In the 2nd round, New England selected corner Eugene Wilson, who immediately contributed on defense.
That 2004 1st round pick was the big ticket though. The Patriots used that pick to select longtime Patriot Vince Wilfork.
2. Traded a 2009 1st round pick and 2010 6th round pick for a 2009 2nd round pick, 3rd round pick, 7th round pick, and a 2010 2nd round pick.
This one is complicated, with four trades involved in total. The Patriots traded down from 23 to 26, and nabbing Baltimore’s 162nd pick. The 26th and 162nd pick were then trade to Green Bay for the 41st, 73rd and 83rd picks.
The Jacksonville Jaguars then offered Belichick the 232nd pick and a 2010 2nd round pick for 2009’s 73rd. New England kept that 232nd pick and selected a QB who has thrown just 1 NFL pass. It was for a touchdown though, as Julian Edelman was the pick.
The 2nd round pick came in at 44th, and the Patriots picked their top non-Brady offensive weapon, TE Rob Gronkowski.
1. Traded a 2007 4th round pick for WR Randy Moss
This one doesn’t need much explanation. 25 touchdowns for Moss, 50 for Brady. 2007 was a great year (for the most part). Randy Moss came in and immediately had chemistry with Tom Brady. This propelled New England through an undefeated season, with the top offense in the game. Moss, who had “off the field issues”, was reigned in by Belichick and mostly kept his mouth shut.
Next: Patriots Super Bowl Rankings
Of note, that 4th round pick the Raiders received in this trade was used to select CB John Bowie. In his career, Bowie tallied just 2 tackles.