'He understood'
Seemingly everyone has an opinion on Jimmy Garoppolo, the San Francisco 49ers-Miami Dolphins trade and, tangentially, the New England Patriots.
But how does Garoppolo feel about this? The 49ers claim they intend to keep Garoppolo next season even if they take a quarterback with the third overall pick in next month’s NFL Draft, but that doesn’t feel like something the 29-year-old QB would sign up for.
Nearly a week removed from the trade, we’re starting to better understand what Garoppolo is thinking.
A report early this week indicated Garoppolo was disappointed after the Niners moved up for the No. 3 pick in the draft. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan later confirmed the rumor.
In his latest “Patriots Podcast” episode, Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard offered further insight into Garoppolo’s mindset.
“(Garoppolo’s reaction) wasn’t good,” Bedard said. “Not only what Kyle Shanahan said in his press conference, but I had heard over the weekend that Jimmy was disappointed, that he was not thrilled with what happened.
“But here’s the thing: These things evolve and this could’ve been in the immediate wake of the trade. What I heard was that he was disappointed but he understood.”
Bedard added: “Me, as someone who wants to see the Patriots get better at the quarterback position, I was disappointed in (Garoppolo understanding the trade). I can tell you this … From where the Patriots are, they understand the situation, they understand that San Francisco can do whatever they want. But everyone wants to know what does Jimmy want? It all comes down to that.
” … If Jimmy doesn’t react the right way, then the Patriots might just be like, ‘Forget it, it’s over.’ “
Bedard went on to indicate that Garoppolo’s reaction to the trade could significantly influence whether the Patriots go all-in on trading for Tom Brady’s former understudy. Will Garoppolo, reading the writing on the wall, stand up for himself and force his way out of San Francisco? Or will he accept the hand he’s been dealt and sign up for a lame-duck duck season with the 49ers? We’ll have to wait and see.
As for whether the 49ers eventually would consider trading Garoppolo, reports have been all over the place since the deal with the Dolphins. Take everything you read with a grain of salt.