Who are Bill Belichick's favorite trade partners?

Consider this a companion piece to Greg’s story from Thursday morning on the Patriots’ finding a trade partner this summer — it’s our semi-annual reset of the Bill Belichick Big Board of Favorite Trade Partners.



Since Belichick took over as head coach and de facto GM of the Patriots since 2000, here’s a complete list of his deals, sorted by frequency and by team (per the New England media guide):

Ten trades: Oakland, Detroit
Nine trades: Chicago, New Orleans
Eight trades: Cleveland, Green Bay, Denver
Seven trades: Tampa Bay, Philadelphia
Six trades: Houston
Five trades: Rams, Baltimore, Seattle, San Francisco
Four trades: Cincinnati, Dallas, Tennessee, Arizona, Washington, Kansas City
Three trades: Minnesota, Miami, Carolina
Two trades: Indy, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Jacksonville
One trade: Buffalo, New York Giants, Atlanta
No trades: New York Jets

A few quick thoughts:

— When you consider this story from Greg, it’s important to note that six of the ten trades that have taken place between Belichick and the Lions have occurred after former New England front office staffer Bob Quinn took over in Detroit in 2016. If you’re looking for some other franchises that might best be described as “Belichick-friendly” who might be more open to executing a deal with the Patriots, I’d also include Houston and New Orleans (with Bill O’Brien and Sean Payton, two veteran coaches who are tight with Belichick), as well as front-offices in Tampa Bay and Tennessee (two teams who have a heavy New England influence who have done deals with the Patriots in the past — not to mention Mike Vrabel’s obvious ties to New England).

— Of course, these totals need to be put in context — some of Belichick’s favorite trade partners (like Mike Shanahan in Denver) are no longer at their old jobs. In that same vein, Belichick and Andy Reid made a habit of draft weekend-dealing when Reid was in Philadelphia. (Maybe an uptick in deals with the Chiefs is around the corner?) It’s also interesting that, despite the fact that the Raiders are tied for the top spot on the list, Belichick has made just one deal with them since the death of Al Davis in 2011.

— Belichick did say that it was easier to make a deal with a team "you’re not in direct competition with, either that’s not on your schedule, certainly not in your division. ... If they’re not on your schedule or if they’re not in your conference, that makes it a lot easier." While Belichick moved from the Jets to the Patriots in 2000 was technically part of a trade, it’s worth noting that New York is the one team New England hasn’t made a deal with since Belichick took over. In the context of that conversation, it's also worth noting he's made just one trade with the Bills (the deal that shipped Drew Bledsoe to Buffalo in 2002) and just three with the Dolphins. Ultimately, given his statements, it's probably not a coincidence six of the top nine teams on the list are from the NFC.