Welcome to the 2017 NFL offseason, where not a day goes by without a Jimmy Garoppolo trade rumor.
The latest rumblings about the league’s most popular backup quarterback come from Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman, who included an interesting note about the New England Patriots QB in his column Wednesday.
Per Freeman, NFL teams “still believe” the Patriots will trade Garoppolo, with his “likely” destination being the Cleveland Browns. Freeman also confirmed New England’s expected asking price for Garoppolo — two first-round picks — but added a caveat:
“Most around the league … think New England’s asking price will come down and there remains a solid chance of a trade happening.”
This update, of course, runs in the face of several reports from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who is adamant the Patriots won’t trade their 25-year-old backup QB. There’s a pretty compelling case for New England keeping Garoppolo, too: The roster already looks strong after a flurry of free-agent signings, and it might not be wise to trade Tom Brady’s most valuable insurance policy for first-round picks that could end up being superfluous.
But Garoppolo is the most coveted NFL quarterback without a starting job, so it’s understandable why he’s drawing so much interest league-wide. The Browns, in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, might be willing to pony up those first-round picks to land Jimmy G, and an offer like that might be too good for Bill Belichick and Co. to refuse.
At least, that’s what we believe now until another Garoppolo report tells us we’re wrong.
Thumbnail photo via Scott R. Galvin/USA TODAY Sports Images
