Bill Belichick Discusses Patriots' Trade Deadline Talks Ahead of Tuesday's Deadline
November 1, 2021
The New England Patriots could be buyers ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline after improving to 4-4 on the season with Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Head coach Bill Belichick discussed his team's handling of the trade deadline Monday on WEEI:
"I think this is the time of year that personnel departments always communicate with each other and we've certainly had probably the normal amount of communication with other teams. Whether they have interest in a player or want to exchange a player or maybe they have somebody that they are looking to, if the right opportunity was there, that they would trade that player. So, yeah, those conversations go on."
Belichick noted some trades take place over the course of 10 days of communication while others come to fruition in the final hours, so it's hard to take stock of discussions to this point.
The Patriots' outlook has also changed significantly in recent weeks after winning three of their last four games, with the only loss coming against the 6-1 Dallas Cowboys in overtime.
New England has also been among the more aggressive teams in the trade market with Belichick at the helm, both as a buyer and seller.
Since August alone, the Patriots have traded away All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore and running back Sony Michel while acquiring depth players in tackle Yasir Durant and cornerback Shaun Wade.
The team acquired a receiver shortly before the deadline in each of the last two years, but neither acquisition—Mohamed Sanu Sr. and Isaiah Ford—lived up to expectations in New England.
There are several receivers available once again in 2021, with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reporting DeVante Parker, Darius Slayton and Andy Isabella (who starred at UMass) could all change teams before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
New England could also target offensive line depth after injuries have caused some issues this season. Ten different players have started at least one game on the offensive line for the Patriots, but a trade could help create some stability going forward.