Falcons Owning Patriots and Bill Belichick in Mohamed Sanu Trade Marked the Beginning of the Dynasty's End

New England Patriots receiver Mohamed Sanu
New England Patriots receiver Mohamed Sanu / Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

In October of 2019, the New England Patriots traded away their 2020 second-round draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Mohamed Sanu. The receiver, who has yet to put together a 1,000-yard season, was intended to be another weapon for Tom Brady. At the time, they were desperate to surround their star quarterback with targets. Now it's clear that the trade should have been a red flag that warned us that the dynasty was over.

Sanu played in eight games for the Patriots last season, and he only recorded 207 yards. He wasn't a major factor in their offense, and his health was an issue too.

Sanu's performance made it clear that he wasn't worth a second rounder, but the aftermath makes such a deal completely abysmal. The Falcons gave up that second-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens. In exchange, they got a solid blocking tight end in Hayden Hurst for next year.

With the pick that New England should have held onto, the Ravens selected Ohio State running back J.K Dobbins, who looks set to be the premiere back (along with Mark Ingram) in the best rushing offense in the league.

Two teams benefited from this trade, but neither is Bill Belichick and the Pats. They passed up some incredible talent for Sanu, and it hasn't panned out.

To make matters worse, Brady is gone now. All that's left is a mediocre-at-best receiver, a shaky quarterback room, and a devastated dynasty.