Eight Worst Patriots Trades Of Bill Belichick Era

Nobody, not even the great Bill Belichick, is perfect when it comes to trades.

Belichick has done plenty of wheeling and dealing throughout his over two-decade-long tenure with the Patriots, but it hasn’t always worked out for the legendary head coach.

While Belichick pulled off some great heists by acquiring the likes of Randy Moss and Wes Welker, he’s also fallen flat on his face on more than one occasion.

So, we took a look back at eight of the worst trades the Patriots orchestrated with Belichick at the helm.

Trading Up In 2006 NFL Draft To Select Chad Jackson
Belichick and the Patriots weren’t going to wait around for Jackson as they moved up 16 spots to No. 36 overall to select the Florida product. To get that selection from the Green Bay Packers, it cost them a second and third-round pick.

Jackson went on to be one of Belichick’s biggest draft busts, playing two seasons with New England in which he tallied just 13 receptions. Belichick certainly got duped by friend and former Florida coach Urban Meyer on this one.

Meanwhile, the Packers used the No. 52 selection from the Patriots to draft Greg Jennings, who went on to have a 10-year NFL career and made the Pro Bowl twice.

Giving Away Top Draft Capital For Mohamed Sanu
The Patriots were in desperate need of offensive help to surround Tom Brady with during the 2019 season. Adding Antonio Brown certainly didn’t work out and they cut ties with Josh Gordon midway through the season.

Needing someone for Brady to throw to on the outside, Belichick traded for Sanu, giving the Atlanta Falcons a 2020 second-round pick in exchange.

Sanu was hampered by an ankle injury during his brief time with the Patriots as he appeared in eight games, making 26 receptions for 207 yards and one touchdown. That type of production certainly wasn’t worthy of a second-round pick.

That season ended in a disappointing early playoff exit and did little to keep Brady with New England.

Patriots Get Next To Nothing For Chandler Jones
Elite edge rushers don’t grow on trees, but yet, the Patriots gave away one practically for free.

The initial trade of Jones didn’t work out well for the Patriots as they shipped him to the Arizona Cardinals in March of 2016 for offensive guard Jonathan Cooper and a second-round pick. Jones went on to earn All-Pro honors twice since leaving the Patriots and led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2017 while Cooper never appeared in a game for the Patriots and was cut four games into the 2016 season.

The Patriots did use the pick they received for the Cardinals to trade back in the 2016 NFL Draft with the New Orleans Saints and ended up selecting Joe Thuney and Malcolm Mitchell.

But not finding a way to keep Jones in New England for a few more years, or at least letting him play out the last year of his rookie deal, as he entered his prime was a misstep by Belichick that he shouldn’t have had to been made up.

Derrick Burgess Trade Turns Into A Flop
The Patriots hoped for more out of the talented edge rusher, but they never got it.

New England acquired Burgess in August of 2009 from the Oakland Raiders for 2010 third- and fifth-round draft picks. Burgess only ended up playing one season for the Patriots and did have five sacks, but wasn’t worth what the Patriots surrendered in draft capital.

Burgess showed up late to training camp in 2010 and a month later he was no longer with the franchise with the Patriots releasing him before the start of the season.

Star Wideout Chad Ochocinco Flames Out With Patriots
Chad Ochocinco was a high-profile name at the tail end of his career, but never made an impact once he landed with the Patriots.

New England once again gave up a good measure of draft capital to obtain Ochocinco, sending the Cincinnati Bengals a 2012 fifth-round pick and a 2013 sixth-round pick prior to the 2011 season.

Ochocinco’s biggest battles during his lone season with the Patriots didn’t come on the field, but with the team’s playbook. Ochocino reportedly struggled learning New England’s offensive scheme, which led to a very underwhelming season. Ochocinco recorded just 15 receptions for 276 yards and one touchdown in 15 games.

It was his final season in the NFL as Belichick and the Patriots whiffed on another wide receiver.

Albert Haynesworth Doesn’t Last Long With Patriots
Haynesworth was the type of reclamation project that Belichick excelled at, tapping into the last bit of talent of an aging star.

But acquiring Haynesworth didn’t work out well for the Patriots. After wearing out his welcome with Washington, New England traded for the hulking 6-foot-6, 335-pound defensive tackle prior to the 2011 season for a 2013 fifth-round pick.

Not even Belichick could help Haynesworth recapture his dominant form, though. He played just six games with New England, registering three tackles before Belichick cut him in early November.

This trade certainly wasn’t deplorable, but Haynesworth being such a dud is memorable.

Duane Starks Doesn’t Fill Void In Secondary
The Patriots took a major risk by releasing Pro Football Hall of Famer Ty Law following the 2004 season. Part of the plan to make up for the loss of Law was trading for Duane Starks, but he did little to fill the void.

New England gave up a pretty good haul to the Arizona Cardinals to land Starks, too. The Patriots traded away 2005 third- and fifth-round picks in return for Starks and a 2005 fifth-round pick.

Starks, who got surpassed on the depth chart by rookie Ellis Hobbs, appeared in just seven games and recorded no interceptions during his one and only season with New England. The Patriots certainly felt Law’s departure with Starks doing very little on the field.

Not Getting Nearly Enough Back For Jimmy Garoppolo
Trading away Garoppolo when the Patriots had the greatest quarterback of all time under contract isn’t a second guess. But what Belichick got in return for the signal-caller is highly questionable.

The Patriots sent Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers midway through the 2017 season, getting just a 2018 second-round pick back for him. It was reported that the Cleveland Browns would have given up their first-round pick to obtain Garoppolo.

But instead, Belichick wanted to do business with Kyle Shanahan and gave him quite the bargain. That ended up hurting the Patriots in the long run as more draft capital would have helped the Patriots fill holes before Brady left.