The Cleveland Browns haven’t given up hope of landing New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in a trade this offseason.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter emphatically reported last week the Patriots would not deal Garoppolo, but that hasn’t deterred the Browns from trying, according to a report Tuesday from Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
From Cabot:
“Despite a report by ESPN that the Patriots won’t trade Jimmy Garoppolo, I’m told that nothing has changed and that teams — including the Browns — will still try to land him.
“One source told me he believes it might take as much as a No. 1 this year and No. 1 next year — which I’m sure the Browns won’t be willing to do.
“But if New England will accept their No. 12 overall pick and maybe another later selection, I think the Browns would strongly consider that.
“They’d come away with their franchise player on defense and their franchise quarterback, and that would be a grand slam first round. They’d sell tickets, get their weary fanbase excited again and likely starting winning right away.”
Cabot went on to say she’d even trade the No. 1 overall pick for Garoppolo “without hesitation,” though she doubts the Browns share that mindset.
Cleveland currently owns the Nos. 1 and 12 selections in the 2017 NFL Draft, and it’s widely expected to use the former on Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett, whose eye-popping performance at the NFL Scouting Combine all but cemented his status as this year’s top draft prospect.
Garrett has the potential to become a Von Miller-esque quarterback wrecker, but he can’t do anything to help the Browns’ offense, which hasn’t enjoyed more than a few short spurts of reliable QB play since the franchise’s rebirth in 1999. And there’s no savior signal-caller worth taking first overall in this draft class.
Garoppolo’s talent and (admittedly limited) NFL experience make him a desirable option for teams with question marks under center, but it’s not surprising the Patriots are hesitant to ship him out of town.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
