Being a Boston sports fanatic, I’ve seen many talented players come and go: Rondo, Pierce, Garnett, Johnny Damon, Nomar, etc. The list goes on and on. I loved all of these players and it sucked when they were traded. It felt like a part of my heart had been ripped out.
As I get older, I become more and more invested and dedicated to the sports teams here. Being from New England, I am obviously enamored with the Patriots. I live and breathe football. Recently, there have been lots of trades occurring throughout the league, and thankfully, I haven’t seen any of my favorites go.
Until today.
I was enjoying a much-needed spring break on the beautiful island of Hilton Head in South Carolina and was at lunch when my ESPN tone went off on my phone, signaling some sort of news alert.
It read: “NFL: Patriots trade DE Chandler Jones to Cardinals for G Jonathan Cooper and 2nd-rd pick.”
My heart dropped.
Chandler Jones is one of my absolute favorite players. I’m probably pretty biased because I go to Syracuse University, the same place he played college ball before getting drafted to the Pats, so that makes my love for him even greater. You feel connected to athletes who have gone to the same school as you; it’s hard to explain why, but that’s just the way it is.
I was so impressed by the way Chandler played for the Pats. He always worked hard, never gave up, and was a team player. He led the NFL in sacks for a good part of last season, too. He made so many huge plays for us. He got the team excited for the next play, always had the most energy on the field, and was a key contributor for the time he was here.
He was so vocal and awesomely animated in his support for his teammates. Here’s a video to prove it (I love this so much):
I even asked for his jersey for Christmas, which I was fortunate enough to get. It visibly hangs up in my dorm room at Cuse for everyone to see. Now it’ll just be a sad reminder that he’s no longer with us.
I had to read the ESPN alert a few times to make sure it was actually real. I didn’t want to believe it. I put my head in my hands and fell silent. My mom and grandma were concerned something had happened to one of my friends back home, that’s how badly I reacted.
In the coming hours, I noticed via social media that a lot of other Pats fans were sad to see Chandler go, too. When he posted his 'thank you' to Patriots Nation on Twitter, I wanted to cry.
When Gronk and Edelman posted goodbye pictures with him, I wanted to cry again. It felt like a part of me had been ripped apart.
Look how cute these are.
Friends who I constantly argue with during the season due to their hatred for my team and my hated for theirs texted me with, “What’s this trade about?”, “Why’d they trade Chandler?”, “I’m sorry for your loss, I know you love him.” For once they were actually being sincere when it came to the Pats; they usually grill me with DeflateGate nonsense and other negative things they associate with the team. Fellow Pats-fans-friends and I shared snaps filled with sad-faced and broken-heart emojis. March 15th was a sad day for us.
I’m obviously happy that Chandler is able to continue his career, but I’m not so happy that it won’t be in New England. Arizona has gained a complete package. They definitely got a steal with this trade. I’m not thrilled whatsoever with the player we got in return (Jonathan Cooper). He’s injury prone and has been a disappointment with Arizona, so I’m not sure I understand the move on our part. I do know that Bill Belichick is a genius, however, and he knows what he’s doing, so I guess that this is for the best (for future draft picks, salary cap, etc.), although I don’t think so.
Chandler, if you’re reading this, which I hope you will because I’m going to tag you in the Twitter post, I wish you the best of luck at your new home. I know you will succeed and do just as well, if not better, than you did here in New England. Patriots Nation loves you very much.
My heart is broken. I keep waking up with every new day hoping that this trade is just a nightmare, but unfortunately, it's not. This is my first real disappointment with a trade in any Boston/New England sport, and I don't like it. It's a business, I get it. Sometimes, it's just an upsetting one.
It looks like I'll be doing lots of Arizona Cardinals streaming next season; I have to make sure my favorite player is dominating just as he did here in New England.
Once a Patriot, always a Patriot. We’ll never forget you, #95.
Xoxo,
Your forever fan
