NFL Rumors: Jimmy Garoppolo, Patriots Never Exchanged Contract Numbers

Let’s face it: Jimmy G was destined to leave.

The New England Patriots and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo might have kicked around the idea of a contract extension, but according to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, Garoppolo precipitated the shocking trade that sent him to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2018 second-round draft pick before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

“From what I know is, it never got to a point where they were exchanging (contract) numbers,” Curran said in a video published Thursday on NBC Sports Boston’s website. “It got to the point where they were having theoretical conversations. But even those were rebuffed: ‘We’re probably not going to do that. We’re not going to have a lucrative backup contract that accelerates when he becomes a starter. We’re not doing that right now.’

“So it never really got to brass tacks, which means it never got to the point where (Patriots coach) Bill Belichick was being told by (Patriots owner) Robert Kraft you can’t trade Tom Brady.”

Curran’s report flies in the face of the theory that trading Garoppolo was a decision that came down from Kraft, who wants to ensure Brady finishes his career with the Patriots. It also lends credence to the idea the organization never planned on using the franchise tag on Garoppolo or paying him starter-type money to serve as Brady’s backup beyond this season.

Brady still is arguably the best quarterback in the NFL at age 40. He’s showing no signs of slowing down. The Patriots perhaps at one point envisioned Garoppolo being the heir apparent to Brady, but the five-time Super Bowl champion keeps fending off Father Time. Why pull the plug in favor of a backup QB who, while talented, still is mostly an unknown quantity?