ESPN’s Seth Wickersham published a lengthy piece Friday detailing a significant divide within the New England Patriots — and people are fighting back.
There’s no shortage of juicy information within Wickersham’s story, but one of the most interesting bits claims Patriots owner Robert Kraft issued a “mandate” to head coach Bill Belichick to trade then-backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. In the aftermath of the trade with the San Francisco 49ers, Belichick made it clear he didn’t want to trade Garoppolo. But the idea that Kraft ordered him to do so — if true — is concerning.
But did Kraft really force Belichick to deal Jimmy G? Someone close to the situation has denied the claim, according to ProFootballTalk.
“A source with knowledge of the dynamics has pointed out to PFT that, as it relates to the Garoppolo trade, the one thing that did not occur is that Belichick was not given a mandate to trade Garoppolo. The notion that Belichick was told to trade Garoppolo creates the impression that ownership opted to excise from the roster the primary in-house alternative a 40-year-old quarterback who wants to play until he’s 45.
“But the Patriots had tried, as Wickersham reports (and as PFT separately has learned) to try to get Garoppolo to stay, under a bridge-type deal that would have paid him very well to be the backup and then starter money, when Brady finally retires.”
So, who’s to believe?
Given the Patriots’ reaction to Wickersham’s report, it’s likely the team will deny most, if not all of the information in the piece. However, it probably won’t be long before we learn just how valid the story is.
