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3 worst trades in New England Patriots franchise history

By Mike Luciano

Aug 12, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches a game against the Washington Football Team during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches a game against the Washington Football Team during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /
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BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 01: A detailed view of a San Francisco 49ers helmet (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

1. The ill-fated 1985 Draft

This deal doesn’t seem so bad on the surface. The San Francisco 49ers were convinced that the rival Cowboys, who picked 17th overall, were going to select their top prospect, so they traded their first, second, and third-round selections to the Patriots for the No. 16 pick and a third-rounder. Not awful, right?

Well…the guy who the 49ers took with that pick was…Jerry Rice. Yeah.

Listing Rice’s accomplishments is a fruitless exercise, as everyone knows what a legendary, singular talent he was across the history of the NFL. If only the Patriots weren’t so willing to trade down for more picks.

The Patriots blew a chance to draft Jerry Rice.

The Patriots went to the Super Bowl in 1985, and while they were merely hogs to get slaughtered by the Bears and their legendary defense, you don’t think Rice would have made a difference? You don’t get many chances to add the game’s greatest wide receiver, and New England bungled theirs.

And who did the Patriots end up with when it was all said and done? BYU center Trevor Matich, who played 11 years in the NFL but only started 23 games. At the risk of making a very declarative statement, New England should’ve held on to the pick and selected Rice. Just a thought.

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