New England Completes a Major Trade with Carolina

Bill Belichick and the Patriots have made a classic trade with the Panthers

No matter who the player is or what the compensation may ultimately be you know the Patriots will come out on the other side stronger.

On Friday New England completed a trade that will send their second-round pick (64th) to the Carolina Panthers for pass rusher Kony Ealy and a third-round pick (72nd).

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter was the first to report the trade through his Twitter account.

Carolina drafted Ealy in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Missouri to be a star pass rusher. In three seasons Ealy has earned 14 sacks, including back to back years totaling five.

Ealy can now start in place of the departing veteran Chris Long, and have Trey Flowers on the opposite side rushing the passer. The 25-year-old’s three sacks in the Super Bowl against Denver is tied with Reggie White and Darnell Dockett for the most in one Super Bowl.

What makes the deal even better for New England is Ealy being in the final year of his rookie contract, meaning the money is relatively cheap and they have no long-term commitment in place should he struggle.

So Bill Belichick moves back eight spots in the upcoming draft to trade for a young, fairly productive pass rusher who will cost him close to nothing and brings no long-term baggage contractually or off the field.

Ladies and gentlemen, the New England Patriots.

Keep an eye out for the Patriots making another move involving New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Malcolm Butler. This specific trade is more likely to happen than not, and the delay could possibly be caused by New England negotiating a contract extension with the speedy wide receiver Cooks.