FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Bill Belichick loves to trade. He has made 167 deals since becoming coach of the New England Patriots in 2000.
Last week's trade that sent receiver Demaryius Thomas to the New York Jets completed the circle for him, as the Jets had been the only team with which the Patriots hadn't struck a deal during Belichick's tenure.
"There was a certain period of time when there's no way this transaction would've happened," Belichick acknowledged, perhaps thinking back to the days when former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini was leading the Jets, or even Belichick's early tenure in New England after abruptly resigning from the Jets.