THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Sony Michel might have been the only person around the NFL who was shocked to hear he had been traded by the New England Patriots.

The running back still seems pleased he landed with the Los Angeles Rams.

After Michel suited up to watch his first practice with the Rams from the sideline at their training complex Thursday, the Super Bowl star claimed he was blindsided by the deal sending him away from New England for a conditional selection of low-round draft picks.

“I was surprised,” Michel said. “I would assume that most people, when they’re traded, they’re surprised a little bit.”

Just about everybody else around the league knew the Patriots’ 2019 Super Bowl hero against the Rams was highly likely to be moved after the team declined his fifth-year option earlier this year, making him a free agent in 2022.

New England has a glut of talented ball-carriers, and while Michel has been excellent when healthy, his injury problems and contract uncertainty made him an obvious candidate for a move to a contender needing a quick fix in the backfield.

A candidate obvious to everybody but the candidate himself, that is: Michel insisted he had no conversations with his agent or other representatives about the likelihood he would be playing elsewhere this season.

Michel intends to get over the shock quickly after joining a winning team with Super Bowl aspirations and a famously solid team culture.

“My goal is to dive in and learn as much as I can, and then to stay on it,” Michel said. “Not much time to be wasted. Just got to get up, get ready to go and get adjusted, acclimated.”

The Rams need exactly what Michel can provide when healthy. They’ve lost starter Cam Akers and backup Raymond Calais for the season with injuries, and new starter Darrell Henderson’s iffy injury history prompted the Rams to make the latest in their long series of bold moves for Super Bowl-hungry veterans — most recently Matthew Stafford, the quarterback who will be handing the ball to Michel.

Coach Sean McVay said he hopes Michel will be “a big-time contributor” starting from Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.