Bill Belichick Takes Shot at Patriots Trade Rumors, Compares Them to Talk Radio

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he was not going to "get involved in talk radio" when asked about the team's plans ahead of the NFL trade deadline Tuesday.

"That's a really tough one for me to say no to," Belichick told reporters. "But I'm going to say no to talk-radio questions. Thanks for asking, though. I appreciate the opportunity to get involved."

When the team made little effort to re-sign Tom Brady, it appeared Belichick was willing to embrace a transitional phase. The Patriots also had eight players opt out of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The franchise hasn't had a losing record since 2000, Belichick's first year in charge. The Pats are 2-4 so far, so getting to eight wins will be difficult.

That has led some to wonder whether Belichick would consider offloading some key contributors to speed up New England's climb back to contender status.

The MMQB's Albert Breer reported in September on NBC Sports Boston that the team "floated [Stephon Gilmore's] name in trade talks" in the offseason:

Gilmore is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year but is due to hit free agency in 2022. The Patriots could plausibly trade him and get nice value in return if they didn't want to extend his contract.

Breer reported Thursday that Gilmore isn't the only player who might be on the block:

"The Patriots have been quiet thus far, but I'm told they've said to other teams they'd listen on almost anyone. The team did discuss Stephon Gilmore with other teams before the draft, and then again in training camp, before moving $4.5 million in his contract from 2021 to '20. Other teams took that restructure as a sure sign that this will be Gilmore's last year in New England. So if they lose Sunday in Buffalo, it'd be interesting to see if they’d move the timetable on his departure up."

Nobody should expect the famously tight-lipped Belichick to offer any insight into the team's plans.

A willingness to put emotion aside in favor of pragmatism is one reason the Patriots' dominance extended well beyond an NFL team's traditional championship window. Nobody will be surprised to see Belichick flip Gilmore or another prominent veteran for draft picks in the coming days.