Patriots’ Mike Vrabel likens NFL trade deadline deals to ‘being pregnant’

A trade in the NFL has been described in a lot of different ways. 

The comparison that Mike Vrabel used on Wednesday may be a first, though. 

The Patriots coach was fielding questions at the team’s facility when a reporter asked if New England had gotten close to making any trades before the 4 p.m. deadline on Tuesday. 

That’s when Vrabel broke out a rather unique way to describe a trade. 

“Well, first I would say that deals are like being pregnant — you either are or you aren’t. There’s no, like … it’s either a deal or it’s not, so I don’t know how close you can be,” Vrabel chimed in before the reporter could finish their question. “I know that everyone worked hard and that we investigated and looked in and made phone calls and did what personnel departments do. In the end, we decided that this was what we were gonna do.”

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks after an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Foxborough, Mass. AP

There had been murmurs that the Patriots had been looking to add at the running back or wide receiver position. 

Jakobi Meyers, a name that the Patriots had been linked to, was dealt by the Raiders to the Jaguars. 

And New England did end up sending safety Kyle Dugger to the Steelers and edge rusher Keion White to the 49ers prior to the deadline coming and going. 

When Vrabel was asked if he ever thought about team being aggressive at the deadline, he said that he “never really looked at it that way.” 

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel hug after the game at Gillette Stadium. Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

“I think we’re trying to build a program, the same thing that we said when we got here,” Vrabel said.

The Patriots have been a shock in the AFC at 7-2 on the season and sit atop the AFC East. 

The Patriots will face the Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.