The New England Patriots have plenty of reasons to be thankful this holiday season, but among the best is that the Jacksonville Jaguars exist.
Here, let us explain.
As NESN.com’s Patriots beat reporter Doug Kyed explored in depth in 2014, a series of 2009 draft-day trades essentially landed the Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman in exchange for cornerback Derek Cox.
The short version? New England traded out of the No. 26 slot in the 2009 NFL Draft, allowing the Green Bay Packers to select linebacker Clay Matthews. Among the picks they received in return was the No.