How did the New England Patriots end up with just a second-round draft pick in exchange for Jimmy Garoppolo, who looked like a legitimate franchise quarterback down the stretch with the San Francisco 49ers after the October trade that sent him to the Bay Area?
It’s a legitimate question, although it’s nearly impossible to answer without knowing what exactly was going on inside the Patriots organization at the time the deal was made. And Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas has a theory as to why Bill Belichick traded Garoppolo to San Francisco rather than shopping the fourth-year quarterback more extensively and sending him someplace else — like, say, Cleveland.
Here’s Thomas’ theory, as told Sunday through a series of tweets:
You must be Bill Belichecks secretary then, fielding all of his trade offers, since you know that nobody offered more than a 2 for @JimmyG_10?! You don’t think there would have been 3/4 teams in the spring who would have given a 1 for him, once @patriots franchised him ala Cassel https://t.co/A5pIhgx9q9
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
Then he would be the mistake that beat them twice a year for the next 10 years. They thought that highly of @JimmyG_10
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
I’m sorry, that’s just not how things work in the NFL. This isn’t @pawnstars , these GMs are smart people and don’t just jump on the first offer they get for players. There was a specific reason the patriots traded him to 49ers, however 2nd rd pick was too low. https://t.co/erppzstzYp
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
Agreed, and, even if they wouldn’t have ever traded him to Cleveland, they would have been able to raise the price received from the 49ers. https://t.co/bkK5xcxC7M
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
Not much negotiating, a very unusual transaction for the nfl and Belicheck https://t.co/rE15Txlr0g
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
So he put all this together (and the pressure 2 get rid of Jimmy from his owner) and traded him to the Niners. Now, remaining argument is; was Bill too hasty in the process that he didn’t get fair value for Jimmy. I’d argue he was, due to trade deadline, middle of the season, etc
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
I’m hoping to go in depth about this topic on the #ThomaHawk show this week. I’ve got unique insight as being connected to many pieces in this story. https://t.co/SNhHolxqZt
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reported in a piece published last Friday that Patriots owner Robert Kraft forced Belichick to trade Garoppolo and that the New England head coach was “furious and demoralized” by having to deal Tom Brady’s backup. According to Wickersham, Belichick reached out to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after the mandate and offered Garoppolo for a second-round pick.
Kraft since has denied the rumor, telling The MMQB’s Peter King following the ESPN report that until Belichick approached him about trading Garoppolo just before the NFL trade deadline, the two hadn’t discussed the quarterback’s situation since the offseason.
Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reported Monday that the Browns were willing to trade the Houston Texans’ 2018 first-round pick (ultimately the fourth overall selection) and “other goodies” to the Patriots for Garoppolo, which, if true, would make New England’s trade with San Francisco even more head-scratching.
