Bill Belichick isn't going to share the New England Patriots' reasoning for acquiring Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons.
Fortunately, his trade partner is a bit more forthcoming.
During an interview with 92.9 The Game on Wednesday morning, Falcons coach Dan Quinn explained why Atlanta pulled the trigger on trading Sanu to New England in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick.
"Quite honestly, it was just a good opportunity for the team, and we'll always make decisions based on that," Quinn said. "We're always looking to develop guys, and that's Calvin (Ridley) and Russ(ell) Gage. It was just a good opportunity for the team."
Put another way: The 1-6 Falcons are waving the white flag, and trading Sanu allowed them to get a quality draft asset while affording more opportunity to their young wide receivers.
Sanu's 33 receptions through seven games in Atlanta trailed only Austin Hooper and Julio Jones. The 24-year-old Ridley was right behind him with 29 catches, and likely will pick up some of Sanu's targets.
New England Patriots
Based on Quinn's comments, the Falcons also want to get Gage more involved; the 23-year-old LSU product has just four catches for 44 yards on the season.
With 27-year-old Justin Hardy also in the wide receiver mix, Sanu was expendable for Atlanta, and the team found a solid trade partner in the Patriots, who get a proven commodity to bolster their thin wide receiver corps under Tom Brady.
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