Even after their dismantling of the New York Jets on Monday Night Football to move to 7-0, New England refuses to stand pat. Furthermore, the Patriots traded a second round pick with the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday to acquire wide receiver Mohammed Sanu.
This was reported by the official NFL twitter account and several other league sources. Allegedly, Sanu has been in the eye of the Patriots desire for a long time. Remember, he played at Rutgers with current Patriots Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon.
🚨 TRADE ALERT! 🚨
Falcons trading WR Mohamed Sanu to Patriots for second-round pick. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/p8iWZ9NxNq
— NFL (@NFL) October 22, 2019
In terms of the ‘why’ behind this move – the Patriots have proven in the past that future draft picks are nothing more than currency to get what they want at the time being. Also, it takes some of the pressure off Julian Edelman.
Moreover, what they’re getting is a dependable and veteran set of hands in Sanu. In his eighth NFL season, he has 33 receptions for 313 yards and one touchdown in 2019. While it’s not clear exactly why they need another weapon at receiver, you have to trust that Bill Belichick knows best.
However, the ESPN article sheds some light on one aspect they liked about Sanu:
A second-round pick is a significant price to pay, but one reason the Patriots might have felt comfortable doing so is that Sanu’s contract extends through the 2020 season.
Finally, Sanu thanked the Falcons for his time in Atlanta. This is from his official twitter account:
I appreciate everything the organization has done for my family & I. Mr. Blank, TD, Coach Q, & everyone through the organization, I am forever grateful for the opportunity. To my Teammates & fan y’all know how I feel about y’all love y’all to death. #ThankYou
— Mohamed Sanu Sr. (@Mo_12_Sanu) October 22, 2019
In closing, it’s hard to judge a trade the day it’s made. Still, Sanu seems like a fairly safe investment. Undeniably, he’s gone about his business as an NFL pass-catcher in a quite and workman-like way thus far in his career.
He has career receiving totals of 377 catches and 4,300 yards along with 25 touchdowns. This includes time in both Atlanta and Cincinnati. Indeed, those totals should see a spike with Tom Brady throwing him the ball from here forward.
