How the 49ers ‘trade could affect the Patriots’ search for Jimmy Garoppolo

The San Francisco 49ers sent shockwaves across the football world on Friday when it negotiated the blockbuster to move up to choice number 3 in the NFL Draft.

Friday’s trading can have a butterfly effect that shakes the defender’s situations for several teams. When negotiating to rise so high in the draft, while giving up several future first round choices, as well as other choices, it is easy to think that the Jimmy Garoppolo era in the Bay Area is at least winding down, if not finished.

Enter the Patriots. New England began its off-season, so far spending $ 315 million on free agencies, according to OverTheCap.com, sending a message that it plans to be competitive in 2021. However, the team is still unclear as to who will start. as a defender. Of course, the Patriots signed again with Cam Newton, but it was just a one-year contract with a salary equivalent to what a reserve earns.

If that is not enough to think that the Patriots could end Garoppolo, it has been reported that the Patriots are very willing to make a meeting happen. In early March, Garoppolo was seen as “Plan A” for the Patriots’ quarterback solution, according to Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal. On Thursday, ESPN NFL expert Dianna Russini said that a Garoppolo deal with New England “may still fall.”

The biggest obstacle New England faces in its attempts to negotiate for Garoppolo is San Francisco’s desire to make a deal. As of now, it seems that the 49ers don’t want to do that. Moments after Friday’s trading was reported, Adam Schefter of ESPN shared that a 49ers source told him that “Jimmy is here to stay. He’s our guy this year. “

Source 49ers today: “Jimmy is here to stay. He’s our guy this year.”

– Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 26, 2021

Now, this does not mean that a Garoppolo trade will never happen. Things can change. In fact, this seemed to have happened four years ago, when Garoppolo was still in New England. Before the 2017 season, it was reported that the Patriots would not move it at any price, but Garoppolo was traded by the Patriots to the 49ers in October of that year.

If the Patriots manage to get the 49ers to change their mind about a Garoppolo trade, the next question is what they will have to give up to do that. The first time Garoppolo was traded, the Patriots were given a second round choice in the NFL Draft that followed.

There may be an argument that Garoppolo is worth more than that this time. Since arriving in San Francisco, Garoppolo has proven himself to be a top quality NFL quarterback with the 49ers, reaching 22-8 in the games he started. Garoppolo also helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl in his only season as a full-back.

And that’s where the argument begins that Garoppolo is worth less than his original return. Garoppolo has only started more than six games in one season since he became the starting quarterback for the 49ers in 2018. Last season, Garoppolo lost 10 games due to multiple ankle injuries. The money that Garoppolo is earning while losing several games is also not light. His limit reached for the 2021 season is $ 26.4 million and for the 2022 season it is $ 27 million, which is the last year of his five-year contract.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss speculated that the Patriots could make an aggressive offer by giving up their choice in the second round of this year’s draft or cornerback Stephon Gilmore. The 49ers could certainly use a draft choice, after giving up four draft choices on Friday. They could also use Gilmore, as Richard Sherman is not expected to return to San Francisco.

If Garoppolo ends up being traded to New England, he will likely have to restructure his contract or sign a new one, similar to what the Patriots did with Trent Brown. The Patriots have less than $ 12 million in space limits, according to the salary limit guru @PatsCap, which is not enough to accept Garoppolo’s current deal.

Of course, the 49ers could stay with Garoppolo this season and take a quarterback to sit for a season in the meantime. They can also accept a prospect from a different position.

If the 49ers really keep Garoppolo, the Patriots can be in a tough spot. The number of quality veteran quarterbacks on the open market is scarce, after many have found new homes or currently seem likely to speak to their current teams.

If the Patriots hope to recruit a quarterback in the first round, there is no guarantee that they will get one of the top five potential players as a quarterback. Four of them are designed to be selected somewhere in the top 10, well out of reach of the Patriots with the 15th choice. Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who is considered the fifth quarterback, was designed to be recruited by the Patriots, but can always end up being recruited higher. Friday’s negotiations by the 49ers and Dolphins also suggest that the Patriots would probably have to give up at least one future choice in the first round to move on to the top 10 of the draft.

Whether it’s Garoppolo or not, the Patriots’ quarterback’s initial situation should be clearer next month, with the NFL’s 2021 Draft taking place from April 29 to May 1.