Jerod Mayo Caught Off-Guard With Patriots' Trade Deadline Inactivity

The NFL trade deadline is now behind us and the New England Patriots decided not to make any moves and carry the same roster into the second half of the season. As the team is getting ready for their Sunday showdown against the Chicago Bears, the Patriots head coach addressed the deadline inactivity.

Mayo's response was somewhat surprising. Per Patriots insider Mark Daniels, when asked about why the Pats didn't make any moves, Mayo wasn't able to give a clear answer and said "It's about value".

Patriots News: Jerod Mayo Unsure Why the Patriots Didn't Make Any Trades

There can be different ways to interpret this. It could very well be a case of an inexperienced, first-time head coach not being able to give the best answer. It could also signal a potential lack of communication between the head coach and the front office.

Mayo's statement clearly suggests that there was an intention of trades, but nothing materialized because of value. Whether the Patriots were buyers or sellers in these negotiations is currently unknown, but the fact that Mayo was unsure about his answer here is not a good sign. Did the front office not communicate to him what went down in negotiations? If they did, why is Mayo not saying that and choosing to remain ambiguous instead?

There was some expectation for New England to be sellers at the deadline, moving on from veterans with trade value. Yet, it's not surprising that there wasn't too much interest in the Patriots on the trade block. It also makes sense for the Patriots to not want to give up future assets to improve in the present.

So, while the inactivity is certainly understandable, how it is being communicated to the media and the fans is less than ideal.

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