Derek Carr: 5 Possible destinations ahead of NFL Trade Deadline

New England Patriots

According to NESN, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that part of the reason that the Patriots traded Jimmy Garappolo was an inability to come to a deal on re-signing him.

"His contract was going to be up. And New England had made efforts to sign him — re-sign him. And I think the more they talked, the more they recognized that it was going to be too difficult to re-sign him."

Tom Brady is playing well, but everyone — even for Brady — needs a succession plan. Brady is 42, and Bill Belichick has the knack for getting rid of players at the right time. There is a shelf-life for Brady’s career, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

So, this trade would signal the end is neigh for the Brady/Patriots marriage. It would set up a succession plan, because the Patriots would have Carr for the next four seasons.

That would also mean that Brady gets the same treatment as all the other veterans who’ve gone before him. The difference is that he’s 42 by next season, and it would be hard for someone to trade for him. So he’d likely be cut, and Belichick will finally have what he wanted, and that’s a successor to the man who is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback in NFL history.