New England Patriots: Jimmy Garoppolo is the best option at quarterback

With the Patriots still looking to fill the quarterback void that now 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady left following his departure in 2020, a former Patriots’ QB may be the team’s best option.

After falling to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots were in possession of the 62nd overall pick during the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was considered one of the better prospects in the class that saw Derek Carr, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater selected during the opening two rounds.

With their 62nd pick, the Patriots selected Garoppolo making him the highest-drafted quarterback that the Patriots had selected since Drew Bledsoe was picked first overall in 1993. His debut came in a blowout loss to the Chiefs on Monday Night Football but he provided a bright spot for a non-existent offense, going 6-of-7 for 70 yards with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski.

Following the blowout to the Chiefs, Brady and the Patriots won their next seven games, eventually defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX to win their fourth championship in franchise history as Garoppolo watched from the sideline.

Garoppolo’s 2016 season began with Belichick naming him the starting quarterback for the first four weeks as Brady was suspended. Up against the Arizona Cardinals during their Sunday Night Football matchup, Garoppolo finished the game completing 24 of 33 passes combined with a touchdown, leading the defending Super Bowl champions to their first victory of the season.

The following week, throwing for three more touchdowns during the first half, Garoppolo took a nasty hit that ultimately left him sidelined for the remainder of Brady’s suspension

Brady returned in Week 5, gluing Garoppolo to the sideline yet again for the rest of the season as he watched the Patriots win back-back-back Super Bowls defeating the Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI.

The road of Jimmy Garoppolo after the New England Patriots.

Following his early season success, Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 31, 2017. He began his career in San Francisco after the 49ers opened up the season staring at an 0-8 record. Garoppolo started his first game as a 49er in Week 13 against the Chicago Bears, leading them the team to their second win of the season. The 49ers won their final five games with Garoppolo at the helm.

Following the 2017 season, the 49ers signed Garoppolo to a five-year, $137.5 million contract which, at the time, was the largest contract in NFL history.

Looking to maintain the momentum he had built towards the end of the previous season, the $100 million-man suffered a knee injury during a Week 2 game against the Kansas City Chiefs which signaled the end of his season. San Francisco finished the season with a 4-12 record as Garoppolo sat in a familiar spot on the sideline.

Back healthy, Garoppolo began the 2019 season leading the 49ers to start the season winning their first eight games. San Francisco finished the season with a 13-3 record and appeared in their first Super Bowl since 2012. The 49ers met Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIV and began the fourth quarter with a 20-10 lead over the Andy Reid-led team.

With under nine minutes to go in the game, Kansas City went on to score three touchdowns on their next three drives and lead 31-20 with just over a minute left to go in the game. During their final possession of the game, Garoppolo threw an interception, giving Kansas City their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years.

Looking to capitalize on the success from the previous year and make it back to the Super Bowl, Garoppolo left the game during a Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets and missed the next two games. He returned during the Week 5 game against the Miami Dolphins, which saw him being benched in favor of C.J. Beathard.

Garoppolo started the following week against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football and found his first win of the season as a starter. However, two weeks later, Jimmy G was placed on injured reserve following an ankle injury in Week 8. Garoppolo began practicing with the team again in December, but never returned to the field.

How Jimmy Garoppolo could return to the New England Patriots and what it would mean.

Overall, Garoppolo has started just 30 out of 64 games during the past four seasons that he’s been with the 49ers. San Francisco could release Garoppolo resulting in a cap penalty of just under $3 million, which is pocket change in the NFL and, with this offseason being saturated with quarterback talent, that may be the direction head coach Kyle Shanahan and the team go.

They could also decide to trade the quarterback entering his eighth season back to New England in exchange for the Patriots’ 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft as Belichick generally prefers trading down within the draft.

Now, looking to the Patriots’ side of things, they began the season without Tom Brady for the first time since the 1999 season and signed 2015 MVP Cam Newton to a one-year deal during the 2020 offseason.

The Newton experiment while looking optimistic early on ultimately fell flat as the season moved on as they finished with a 7-9 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2008 season.

Belichick and the Patriots currently hold over $60 million in team cap space entering the offseason which is the fourth-most in the NFL along with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The 49ers would possess the No. 12 and No. 15 picks in the NFL draft giving them a chance to find a quarterback to lead the team moving forward. While the Patriots would hold on to a pick within the top 50 and have a familiar, long-term answer at quarterback rather than the uncertainty they currently face that the franchise has not seen in over 20 years with giving Garopollo a chance to finally step off the sidelines and lead the team he spent much of his career watching another quarterback raise the Lombardi Trophy.