It’s mighty tempting for a team to cash in by trading a solid backup quarterback at a time when there’s a shortage of NFL-caliber talent, but the New England Patriots apparently will not succumb to that urge. Unless they do.
Welcome to the NFL’s silly season.
The Pats will likely hang onto Jimmy Garoppolo, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, rather than trade him for talent at another position or draft picks.
“They love Jimmy Garoppolo,” Schefter said and it’s not hard to see why. In Garoppolo, 25, they have a quarterback-in-waiting to replace Tom Brady. The Super Bowl LI MVP will turn 40 in August and, while he had a stellar season and has had only one significant injury over his career, a quarterback is living on borrowed time (and avocado ice cream) after 40.
But others are skeptical that the case is closed. As the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe put it, “Let’s not pretend the Pats are hanging up the phone when teams call. Still in play.
“I know the Pats would be happy to keep Garoppolo b/c he’s a (darn) good QB. I believe they’d also be happy if a team met their trade demands.”
So … it’s anybody’s guess what the Patriots, who also have Jacoby Brissett on the roster, will do and that’s just how they like it. Besides, there’s no rush to make a move and, we should remind you, this is the silly season, when teams like to push up players’ value with reports about their availability.
Taking Garoppolo off the market would be a significant blow, with quarterback talent at a premium. The Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars are in need of an upgrade at quarterback, as are the Houston Texans (despite the expensive presence of Brock Osweiler). And then there are teams who are beginning to think about replacing aging quarterbacks, like the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints. (And the Patriots themselves, of course.)
Whatever the Patriots decide will ripple throughout the league.
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