There’s no guarantee the New England Patriots will trade Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. But it appears at least a few teams will try their best to pry the 25-year-old quarterback out of Foxboro.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman wrote Wednesday three NFL executives “believe some team is going to make the New England Patriots an offer for Jimmy Garoppolo they cannot refuse.”
From Freeman’s “10-Point Stance” column:
“I want to be clear about what I’m being told: (The executives) believe several teams are preparing to make blockbuster offers for Garoppolo. I’m not saying it will happen. I’m saying this is the belief of some around football. They think a draft shakeup is coming and that it will involve Garoppolo.
“The increasingly popular view among some in the league is that Garoppolo can transform a franchise almost overnight and is worth a first-round pick.
“There’s a desperation that’s sweeping the league when it comes to finding a quarterback, greater than I’ve seen in a long time. One front-office executive called it the Dak Prescott Phenomenon.”
This report certainly is not surprising. Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady plans to play for at least another few seasons, and with how well he performed in 2016, he’s in no danger of losing his job to the younger Garoppolo.
So it’s easy to envision New England dealing Garoppolo — who has one season remaining on his rookie contract — rather than risk losing him for nothing in 2018. The Patriots are sure to hear plenty of offers for the third-year pro once the league year opens March 9, as close to a dozen teams around the NFL have question marks at the quarterback position.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
