Bill Belichick had a knack for putting together deals ad the NFL trade deadline, even when acquisitions were very rare in the league. And he grew such an impressive reputation for trading that teams were rumored to avoid him, because it would inevitably look like a failure for his trade partner.
Even when Belichick was trading away players at the deadline, the New England Patriots coach seemed to somehow with the deal. This isn’t to say teams can’t get fair assets in exchange for a star. But let’s look at the example of linebacker Jamie Collins, who went to the Browns in exchange for a third-round pick in 2016.