Trade talks swirl around Garoppolo
HOUSTON — Two reporters from Cleveland sat at the table with Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo during Thursday’s media availability. They weren’t asking about the Falcons. No, what everyone wants to know about Garoppolo is which quarterback-needy team he could end up on this offseason. The Browns are one possibility and the Cleveland reporters wanted to know what he thought about possibly putting on a different uniform next season.
“Honestly, I really haven’t even thought about it,” Garopppolo said. “I know I sound like a broken record to you guys. With this week, there are so many things going on, so many variables with family and getting them here and everything that it’s a lot to juggle. Just to focus on that is hard enough.”
Garoppolo is under contract for one more season with the Patriots, but he is viewed as a trade target for many teams. With Tom Brady giving no hint of retirement, it would make sense for the Patriots to deal Garoppolo for draft picks and develop Jacoby Brissett behind Brady. Garoppolo won both of his starts this season while Brady was suspended.
CBS reported Thursday the Bears will target Garoppolo this offseason. The Jets surely would love to have him, but Bill Belichick is not going to trade him within the division.
Belichick raised eyebrows around the league in November when he heaped praise on Garoppolo, possibly trying to raise the price on a trade. Belichick was talking about Brady’s durability, but that turned into a Garoppolo love session.
“Jimmy can go out there and run everything that Tom can,” Belichick said. “We’ve seen that. I’m not saying that he’s not capable or qualified to do it. He is.”
Belichick said Garoppolo was great at mimicking Brady.
[Garoppolo] does a great job of it,” Belichick said. “And when we put Jimmy in there, it’s really seamless. Unless you were actually looking at the position. If you could just block out that position and say, which guy is in there at quarterback? I don’t know if you would know a lot of times.”