Joshua Uche didn’t see the field much for the New England Patriots through the first seven games. According to legendary head coach Bill Belichick, that had more to do with the situation in New England than Uche’s skills.

The Patriots traded Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday for a 2026 sixth-round pick, as first reported by Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Media.

Belichick considered it a win for Kansas City and threw a little jab at New England when asked about the deal.

“They (Chiefs) haven’t given up anything in my mind,” Belichick told the “Pat McAfee Show” Monday afternoon. “Look, Josh Uche is a very good rusher. He hasn’t had a chance to rush much for the Patriots this year as they are way behind. The situation has not been good.”

The Patriots have given opponents the opportunity to run the ball down their throats and build significant leads. A situational pass rusher, Uche played 35% or more defensive snaps just twice in seven games.

Belichick selected Uche in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and believes the rusher can recapture what the former Patriots coach saw in him when he came out of Michigan.

“Two years ago he had a great year,” Belichick said, referring to Uche’s 11.5 sack campaign. “Now he had (Matthew) Judon on the other side of him, so they were two good pass rushers. But he’ll get plenty of opportunities to rush in Kansas City.

“I think he will really help them (Chiefs). He has surprising power for his size. He has excellent speed and good take-off. And he has some flexibility in coverage. So I think it’s a good addition for a team that needs another pass rusher, which everyone does. Josh can do that. He will definitely help them.”

It felt like the writing was on the wall for Uche, who was involved in trade rumors during the 2023 campaign when Belichick was at the helm. The 26-year-old signed a one-year deal last offseason and will hit free agency in March. Uche was also a healthy scratch in New England’s Week 8 win over the New York Jets.