Cleveland Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown was tight-lipped Wednesday when asked about his team potentially swinging a trade for New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I wouldn’t comment on a player on another team,” Brown told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine, via Patriots.com. “It would just be inappropriate for me to do and against league rules. I understand the interest in that and I’ve seen all the headlines that have been written, but I wouldn’t comment on that.”
Follow-up questions regarding Garoppolo ensued, but Brown, well aware of the NFL’s strict tampering rules, wouldn’t take the bait.
“I wouldn’t comment on that in this forum,” he reiterated. “It would be inappropriate and against league rules.”
Garoppolo, who’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, has garnered plenty of interest from QB-needy teams. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that New England will not deal the 25-year-old this offseason.
Brown had no problem discussing a previous Patriots-Browns trade: the one that sent linebacker Jamie Collins to Cleveland this past October. Collins signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension with the Browns after the season.
“We really liked the Collins trade,” Brown told reporters. “I think it worked well for New England. Worked well for us. Really talented player. Really passionate about football. High football intelligence. And incredibly athletic. So we like all those things. They fit within our building. Fit with our coaches. He and (Browns head coach Hue Jackson) have a good and growing relationship. So we liked everything we saw about him. And he played well adjusting to a new system.”
The Browns currently own the first and 12th overall picks in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Thumbnail photo via Scott R. Galvin/USA TODAY Sports Images
