Lure of Jimmy G heats up heading into draft
Will Belichick go all in on Garoppolo, or move up to take a young QB?
When it comes to Jimmy Garoppolo and the Patriots, the union has always seemed incomplete, a story with a cliffhanger, but no ending. It stands as one of the top cold cases in Patriots lore. That’s why any possibility of bringing Jimmy G back to New England gets the juices flowing in Patriots Nation and beyond.
It’s especially tantalizing now, with Bill Belichick blowing everyone away the past two weeks, spending a king’s ransom in free agency, and practically overhauling his entire team with more than a dozen new players.
Yes, Cam Newton is in place, and should improve on last year’s disaster with a much better cast.
And yet, the thought of landing Belichick’s favorite son is hard to resist on so many levels. It would complete the circle, and in theory, put the Patriots in better position to regain their standing as a Super Bowl contender. But will it happen? After the blockbuster deals made Friday, with the 49ers moving up into the No. 3 spot in the 2021 draft, it sure seems like it’s closer to becoming a reality — even if the Niners are whispering to their media people Jimmy G ain’t going anywhere.
After shipping their firstround pick in 2021 (No. 12 overall), a third-round pick next year, and two future first-round picks to the Dolphins to gain the third overall pick, almost assuredly a quarterback, why would the Niners want to keep Garoppolo?
To be a place-holder or one-year mentor with a $24 million salary, along with a $26 million cap hit? That makes no sense on any level.
So it’s doubtful the Niners will want to keep him at that price. By the look of it, they’re trying to leverage the situation, and get what they can by playing hard to get.
After trading away a couple first-round picks, wouldn’t it make sense for the Niners to try and get at least one future first-rounder back?
Not saying it’s going to happen, but from the outside looking in, that appears to be what’s at play.
The bigger question is whether Belichick is willing to go the extra mile for Garoppolo, and perhaps hand over more than he’s worth?
The Hoodie certainly swung for the fences in free agency. It’s just hard to fathom him surrendering a ton for a quarterback who hasn’t been able to stay on the field.
Belichick may love Jimmy G, but at what cost? Would he really sign off on something greater than the secondrounder he received in exchange for him four years ago?
If there’s competition for Garoppolo, and that’s likely to be the case with the Bears as one possible interested party, that might further jack up the price.
So this still isn’t in the bag, or as close to being reality as many might hope. The Niners aren’t just going to giftwrap Jimmy G and give him back to the Patriots.
But the door has been opened wider to the possibility, and will provide tons of intrigue in the coming weeks.
So will the draft, and what the Patriots ultimately do whether they have Garoppolo or not. They need to make a splash at quarterback. The only difference is the urgency for one of the top-tier quarterbacks lessens if Jimmy G becomes a reality.
Either way, they still need to draft a quarterback prospect. Given Garoppolo’s injury history, having another kid in the system is the way to go.
But if there’s no Garoppolo, what happens? Do the Patriots still try to land one of the top guys in the first round?
Given all the shuffling Friday, the Patriots would probably have to move up as high as No. 4 to land either Trey Lance or Justin Fields if Jimmy G remains in San Francisco.
With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson expected to go 1-2 to the Jaguars and Jets, the 49ers would then grab the quarterback they consider the best from the rest at No. 3.
That’s why the No. 4 spot, currently owned by Atlanta, would allow the best shot at Fields or Lance. And with all the picks the 49ers needed to surrender to go from No. 12 to No. 3, it’s tough imagining Belichick being quite as bold moving up from No. 15.
Before the Niners’ bombshell dropped, draft experts all over the map were trying to predict the Patriots next move.
During the past week alone, the rumor mill churned out plenty of educated hunches with the most notable having the Patriots move up the board for Ohio State’s Fields.
North Dakota State’s Lance has also been mentioned in the same type of scenario in various mock drafts. However, Fields and/or Lance might no longer be in play with the 49ers sitting at No 3.
Let’s just say the odds of the Patriots landing any of the top-four prospects have diminished considerably with the Niners’ move.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., meanwhile, has the Patriots sitting tight at No. 15, selecting Mac Jones, while Pro Football Focus believes the Patriots will still have to sneak up the board as high as No. 9 to land the Alabama quarterback.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are those who believe Belichick will pass on making a move, and simply pick a quarterback in a later round.
And that’s even without Garoppolo.
SiriusXM NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots, reached last week, can’t see Belichick bolting up the board for a quarterback.
Instead, Wilcots went with the classic Belichick move — trading down — if Garoppolo flames out. Wilcots was convinced if Belichick wanted Jones, heading down the board, as opposed to up, would still net the desired result.
“Bill might even wait for him to get to the bottom of the first,” said Wilcots. “Right now, I’m thinking he might move back from No. 15 to get him.”
If Jones is truly the apple of Belichick’s eye, why roll the dice and risk losing him? That wasn’t his strategy in free agency. He had a list of targets, and methodically went after them, one by one. He refused to let any of them slip away.
Look at the 49ers. They were aggressive. They have Garoppolo, and still made the huge splash, dealing a ton of assets to get in the No. 3 hole to presumably pick their future quarterback.
Wilcots projected a move down for the Patriots because Belichick will know the board, and have it figured where he needs to be for Jones, if he is in fact the target. Or, if Jimmy G remains in play, Belichick will simply let the draft come to him and pick a quarterback when it
makes sense in a later round.
“I think it’s even a little rich for Bill to take a quarterback in the first round,” said Wilcots. “When was the last time he took a quarterback in the first round?” Answer: Never.
Since taking over as the head coach of the Patriots, Belichick has chosen six defensive linemen, three offensive linemen, two linebackers, two defensive backs, two tight ends, two running backs, and one receiver with his collection of first-round picks.
The earliest he’s chosen a quarterback was the second round. That was Garoppolo in 2014.
Added Wilcots: “Even in Cleveland he didn’t do it.”
NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks, however, on his “Move the Sticks” podcast with draft expert Daniel Jeremiah, is in the camp predicting Belichick will do whatever it takes to land his future quarterback, assuming Garoppolo doesn’t work out.
“I think the New England Patriots could be real aggressive. We’ve seen the New England Patriots step outside their comfort zone as it relates to free agency. We saw them completely rebuild the roster with the number of signings and free agency,” said Brooks. “I believe they’re about to go all in on an offensive makeover. The young quarterback is the final piece to the puzzle. And I think that quarterback will be an athletic quarterback.”
It’s also possible Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond or Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman, who aren’t projected in the first round but fit the profile, are on the Hoodie’s radar.
“Let me put it this way. Belichick wants to get the quarterback without surrendering assets,” said Wilcots. “I always say he’s better than the rest, because he thinks different than the rest. He plays chess, the others are playing checkers.”
By all appearances, the chess game is just getting started. While some in Patriot Nation don’t want Belichick to go back to the well with Jimmy G, preferring he start fresh with one of the top quarterback prospects, the feeling remains that something needs to happen beyond Newton.
ESPN analyst Damien Woody is with the group that has Belichick moving his chess pieces up the board for one of the top guys, or anyone that’s an upgrade on Newton.
The quarterback position is too important, he theorized. This isn’t 2000 when game managers won Super Bowls. It’s an offense-driven league, and the best quarterbacks are products of the first round.
“Tom Brady was the ultimate anomaly. You just don’t pick a guy in the sixth round and have him turn into that type of quarterback,” said Woody. “You can’t expect to dip back into the well and pull that type of magic again. Most of your starting quarterbacks, your superstar quarterbacks, are picked in the first round. You have a few exceptions, but the superstar quarterbacks are picked in the first round.
“The league has changed,” he went on. “If you don’t have a quarterback, an elite quarterback, it is so hard to win in this league, and win a championship.”
It’s pretty obvious Belichick still has a candle lit in the window for Garoppolo. He’s been Plan A all along.
At this point, it’s just a matter of how the game plays out with the Niners.
Said Woody: “I think the one thing you can count on is some fireworks. There’s quite a few teams out there desperate for a quarterback.”
How desperate are the Patriots?
Plenty. But you’ll never get that sense from Belichick. Using a Ouija board might be the best way to figure out which way he’s headed.
Top-notch WR class
With the additions of Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, are the Patriots done improving the wide receiver position?
Given their poor draft history with wideouts, maybe. But once again, like last year, this is a great draft class of receivers. Some even believe it has the potential to be even better.
Wilcots suggested the strength and depth of this class helped lower the price for receivers in free agency, along with teams having cap issues.
“Why pay a receiver in free agency, when you can get a Chase Claypool in the second round? Or a Tee Higgins in the second round? Or Curtis Samuel late?” said Wilcots. “Teams can get receiver talent in the draft without paying top dollar.”
Last year, seven wideouts were selected on the first two days. With Julian Edelman’s status still unknown, the Patriots might be inclined to take another shot.
More mature Gronk?
After re-signing with Tampa Bay, Rob Gronkowski was asked about the Bucs’ Super Bowl celebration.
During the teleconference, he noted the boat parade and after-party were the best. But his partying ended there.
“Back in the day, when I was young 20s, I would extend that celebration probably for like a month or two. I wouldn’t even know what’s going on in the world, but you live and learn,” said Gronk. “I’m in my 30s now, so, that was enough for me, the boat parade, the party after the Super Bowl. Those are fantastic … you can’t really beat that party, going down
the river on a boat. You got people all over the city of Tampa screaming at you, having a blast. That is hands down the best celebration right there.”
Locking up Allen
Buffalo GM
Brandon Beane wants Josh Allen to be the Bills quarterback for the foreseeable future. Speaking on the Huddle & Flow podcast last week, Beane said he’d like to get a long-term extension done sooner rather than later.
“It helps you for your planning the sooner you can get that contract done,” Beane said. “Again, I hope that we can get him done, if not this year, next year. You don’t want to get into the franchise (tag) and all that stuff. It’s a tool that you use if you have to keep a great player, but at the end of the day, we want Josh here for the long term. We want him to be happy, and obviously, we want it to be a deal where we can still put talented players around him because Josh is a competitor. He’s not wired for us just to pay him, then not be able to put stuff around him. So we’ll try and find that deal that works for him and works for us.”
Allen, who was the No. 7 overall pick in 2018, is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract.