Patriots Coach Bill Belichick Explains Why New England Released Mohamed Sanu

The New England Patriots released talented wideout Mohamed Sanu and this was the most shocking decision the team made this summer. Head coach Bill Belichick shared the reasons his team had to eliminate Sanu.

The veteran wideout played just half a season with the Patriots. He played eight regular-season games and one playoff game. The Patriots traded for Sanu and lost a second-round draft pick.

Sanu sustained an ankle injury on a punt return. This affected his chances to make a big splash in New England. Sanu totaled just 15 catches on 33 targets for 114 yards and zero touchdowns in his final seven games. This includes a five-target, one-catch, 11-yard effort in the Patriots’ postseason loss to the Tennessee Titans.

“It’s just one of those things that just didn’t work out,” Belichick said. “I have a lot of respect for Mo. But ultimately, things just didn’t work out.”

New England released Mohamed Sanu for a few important reasons

The veteran had an offseason ankle surgery and worked with a live-in receiver coach in the past few months. However, the Patriots weren’t satisfied with his work. New England decided to release Sanu and save $6.5 million against the salary cap.

 “I think he tried very hard,” Belichick said. “Think we tried hard. I don’t think it was anybody’s fault or anything like that. It was just one of those situations that just didn’t work out as well as I think everyone hoped it would have when the transaction was made.

“So, as always, we’ll try to make the decisions that we feel are best for the football team, whether that’s bringing a person in or releasing a player. Obviously, it can go both ways. So at this point in time, we felt (releasing him) was best for the team. Last year, we felt differently. We’re in a little different situation this year.”

Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry are roster locks in the team’s receiving corps. Gunner Olszewski and Damiere Byrd will probably survive the roster trimming. Jakobi Meyers, Jeff Thomas, Devin Ross, Isaiah Zuber, and Andre Baccellia will have to battle for the final roster spots.