New England Patriots: Jimmy Garoppolo Trade More Likely After Recent Deals?
Do the recent moves by the New England Patriots make a Jimmy Garoppolo trade more likely?
The New England Patriots have been aggressively adding talent to their roster this off season. Bill Belichick and company are clearly all in to make a run for more Super Bowl titles the next few years with Tom Brady under center. At 40 years old, Brady is not going to be around forever, and the Patriots are clearly looking to be as competitive as possible while he is around.
The Patriots have not only been major players in free agency, they have been aggressively adding players via the trade market. They added tight end Dwayne Allen, defensive end Kony Ealy and most notably, wide receiver Brandin Cooks in trades the past few days. All of these players were acquired using 2017 NFL Draft capital.
New England still holds seven picks in the 2017 NFL Draft, but they do not pick until the third round (72nd overall). The Patriots already have an incredible roster and do not need many rookies to help supplement what they are doing, but not having a first and second round pick is not ideal. All of the trades made were worth it on the Patriots’ end, but they are undoubtedly lacking 2017 NFL Draft capital.
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However, that could quickly change if the Patriots decide to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Will they or won’t they? Garoppolo trade rumors have been circling all offseason. One day it looks like his bags are being packed, and then the next, the Patriots wouldn’t trade him for 325 first round picks.
It is impossible to say for sure what is going to happen, but aren’t they more likely to trade him now that they are lacking high-end draft capital? The Patriots are clearly going all in for the remaining years of Brady’s career. Cooks gives him an incredible deep threat and overall option in the passing game, but giving up a first round pick for him is significant.
Unless the Patriots have reason to believe that 2017 will be Brady’s last NFL season, trading Garoppolo has always made the most sense to me. Garoppolo will be able to leave via free agency next off season. The Patriots could franchise tag him, but it would be an astronomical number of $21+ million. Would they really pay two quarterbacks elite money? I highly doubt it.
Now is the time to trade Garoppolo. He is extremely likely to be one of the best 15 quarterbacks or so in the NFL. He is unproven, but teams are going to pay a premium price to give him a shot to be their franchise signal caller. If the Patriots can get a 2017 first round pick or multiple second round choices, they should make the deal.
Next: Patriots: Grading Cooks, Ealy and Allen Trades
Garoppolo is a talented player, but the New England Patriots are all-in to win right now. Garoppolo is far more valuable to other NFL franchises than he is to them. Trading Jimmy Garoppolo to the highest bidder is the best move.