Patriots trade for WR Mohamed Sanu

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Patriots didn’t wait until the trade deadline to add some offensive help.

According to a source, the Pats have acquired wide receiver Mohamed Sanu in a deal with Atlanta. The Pats will send a second-round pick to the Falcons for the 30-year-old receiver, according to ESPN.

Sanu has 33 receptions for 313 receiving yards and a touchdown in seven games this season. He's caught 78.6% of the pass thrown his way and as evident by the social media response, will make Brady happy. After the news broke, Sanu tweeted out “LFG,” which is Brady’s motto that stands for lets (expletive) go. The quarterback responded with, “See you soon.”

Sanu is signed through 2020. He has a cap hit of a little over $3.529 million this year and $6.5 million next season. He instantly adds depth along fellow receivers Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski. Gordon missed Monday’s game due to a knee and ankle injury. Edelman (chest), Dorsett (hamstring), and Olszewski (hamstring) were all limited in practice last week as well.

The Patriots have long admired Sanu, who played at Rutgers with Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty and Duron Harmon. During the 2016 offseason, the Pats went into March hoping to add a new receiver. They called and showed interest in Sanu on Day 1 of free agency, according to a source.  The price tag, however, went up fast for the 6-foot-2, 220-pound receiver. The Patriots bowed out rather quickly and Sanu signed a five-year deal with the Falcons worth $32 million. However, that wasn’t the only time they tried to acquire the wide out.

During the NFL Owners Meetings, there were rumors that the Pats were internally talking about trying to acquire Sanu. This came about after Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement as the team was looking for more offensive firepower. According to ESPN, the Pats then called Atlanta in April prior to the draft and offered their second-round pick for Sanu, but the Falcons turned the deal down.

Now, they finally get their guy.

The 8-year veteran has been a solid receiver over his time in the NFL. Sanu was used as the Falcons third option behind Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley in Atlanta. He's hauled in 700+ yards in three seasons. Last year, he finished with a career-high 838 receiving yards to go with 66 receptions and four touchdowns. Sanu brings versatility. He can throw the ball and has completed seven-career passes on eight attempts for 233 yards and four touchdowns.

Sanu will also give the Patriots another slot receiver. This season, according to PlayerProfiler, Sanu has played 77.5% of his offensive snaps in the slot for the Falcons through seven games. Last year, Sanu lined up in the slot on 62.3% of the time. His ability to play inside the numbers will allow the Patriots to line Edelman and Gordon outside. Add in Dorsett and Meyers and the offense could run more four receiver sets – they did that in the one game Antonio Brown played this season.

Sanu won’t be the only reinforcement for Brady. In one week, first-round pick N’Keal Harry will also be eligible to play. Tackle Isaiah Wynn could also return this season after landing on the injured reserve with turf toe. According to ESPN, the Patriots might not be down trading, either. The team has reportedly checked in on the availability of veteran tight ends this month.

The Patriots will have to make a corresponding roster move to acquire Sanu. The team will also have to move some money around as they’ll need to clear up a little over $1.2 million to fit Sanu within their salary cap.