The latest reports from multiple NFL insiders suggest the 49ers will not trade Jimmy Garoppolo to the Patriots, or any other team, by week's end.
On the contrary, says Skip Bayless.
Bayless, as he explained Thursday on FS1's "Undisputed," believes it's only a matter of time before Garoppolo returns to New England.
"It feels inevitable to me," Bayless said. "It feels like fair is fair and that (Bill) Belichick -- he'll need to see how the draft falls -- that he's sitting on the 46th overall pick, mid-second round. Wouldn't that be a fair price for Jimmy G? 'Cause they got him for a two, right? Again, he gave away Jimmy G. Jimmy G had earned the right to have a first-round tag on him."
Belichick clearly has a high opinion of Garoppolo, and it probably wouldn't be overly challenging for Tom Brady's former backup to reacclimate himself to Foxboro if the Patriots traded for him. Still, Bayless doesn't believe a reunion would result in success.
" ... To me, this is Belichick saying, 'I'm back in business. This is where I wanted to be about five years ago and now I'm back on track,'" Bayless said. "Again, what's the bible say, 'pride goeth before the fall'? I think your pride is going to do you in here. I don't think Jimmy G is the answer. I don't think he can play, perform any better than Cam performed last year. I think he will struggle. I think he's one of those guys with a lot of talent who doesn't process all that quickly and he's an interception waiting to happen."
One could argue bringing back Garoppolo only would further stall the Patriots from truly turning the page to the next era of their organization. In turn, the best course of action for New England might be trying to find their franchise QB in this year's draft.
