Patriots: 5 most surprising Bill Belichick moves ever
By Noah Green
3. Trading Jamie Collins (2016)
Yup! Another shocking Belichick move. The Patriots’ head coach traded Pro Bowl linebacker Jamie Collins in 2016 for a 2017 third-round draft pick. Collins was an enormous piece of the Patriots 2014 Super Bowl victory over Seattle, and was one of those young defenders who seemed destined for a legendary career.
When selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Belichick suffered some criticism since Collins was extremely un-polished raw football player from Southern Mississippi.
After one Pro Bowl campaign and a Super Bowl ring secured by the age of 27, Collins seemed like he would end up being another all-time great Patriots defender. To add to the shock of the trade itself, Collins was sent away after Week 8 and a 7-1 record to the start the season. Despite their hot start to the season, Belichick felt like the Patriots needed a locker room shakeup with Collins rumored to be undisciplined at times … and maybe to just remind the team that anyone is trade-able in New England.
Why was this a fleece, though? The Pats got a third-round pick in exchange for eight games of Collins, who then went on to sign a four-year, $50 million deal with Cleveland. He played 30 total games with the Browns before returning to the Patriots in 2019.