The Patriots weren't simply going to sell off players just to sell them off at the NFL trade deadline. They want to win games this year. They were always going to coach and play to win.
The question was whether or not their front office would trade away a couple of their best pieces, hurting this year's club in the name of improving future iterations of the roster.
That didn't happen.
Stephon Gilmore remains on the team. Joe Thuney remains on the team. The Patriots didn't "sell" by any definition. Not a single player was sent away.