Time was, the NFL trade deadline was something all 32 teams just drove on by without slowing down.
The only team that did much dealing was the Patriots and they really started getting busy around 2012 when they made the modest move to acquire Isaac Sopoaga. The next year, it was Aqib Talib. The year after, it was Jonathan Casillas and Akeem Ayers.
With the changing landscape of the league and professional sports seemingly making teams more aggressive and inventive, the trade deadline's become a bit busier and the hype around it has risen exponentially.
What will the Patriots be up to between now and 4 p.m. Tuesday? Don't expect too much.
According to a source, the Patriots getting busy with transactions is "not real likely." The added caveat to that? "You never know what teams might be willing to do at the last minute."
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Which makes sense. If a team is looking to move a player, they wouldn't want to broadcast the fact they can't wait to get him out of town. Don't devalue the asset. But any team with an undesired player with a "MUST GO" sign draped around his neck is going to be more open to accepting a whole lot less in the hour before the deadline hits just to get something - ANYTHING - in exchange for an asset they have no use for.
That's why the effort to make calls, express interest and get asking prices before Tuesday would have been so important for Patriots VP of Player Personnel Nick Caserio. A team not interested in doing a deal last week may look at the compensation offered today as the best they can do and make the move.
The Patriots are tight to the cap so a ground-shaking move is unlikely. Besides, the deal for Mohamed Sanu certainly qualified as a big move. But - as we've seen through the years - the team that made the trade deadline worth watching is almost always up to something.
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