NFL Rumors: Browns Would Have Given Up First-Rounder For Jimmy Garoppolo

When the New England Patriots decided to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, head coach Bill Belichick simply called up 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and offered up the quarterback for a second-round pick, according to ESPN.

If the Patriots had opened up negotiations to other teams, they reportedly could have received more.

Former Cleveland Browns general manager Sashi Brown was willing to give up the Houston Texans’ 2018 first-round pick, which wound up being fourth overall, and “other goodies,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto reported Monday. The Browns called the Patriots two days before the Garoppolo trade was consummated and were told he wasn’t available, according to Pluto.

So, why didn’t the Patriots take more? There’s two elements in play.

First, the Patriots didn’t want to trade Garoppolo within the conference, a league source told ProFootballTalk.

Second, it was an “arduous process” the last time the Patriots made a trade with the Browns, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Sunday. The Patriots previously traded Jamie Collins to the Browns and made a separate deal for Barkevious Mingo.

If you’re tired of hearing about Garoppolo, you might want to tune out any and all media for the next 10 years or so. This story isn’t going away until the Patriots acquire another young quarterback who proves to be better than the backup New England sent away to San Francisco.