The NFL has started what is expected to be an unprecedented off-season of defenders, with Matthew Stafford already going to the Los Angeles Rams in big business and a host of other newcomers likely to switch teams in the coming months. For the New England Patriots, the carousel may end up bringing Jimmy Garoppolo back to the team that wrote it first, a report speculates.
Mike Reiss, who covers the Patriots for ESPN, speculated that Garoppolo might be the best option for New England, as the franchise is looking for a replacement for Cam Newton. He noted that the club would probably be interested in Deshaun Watson if the Houston Texans complied with his request for an exchange, but acknowledged that it seems unlikely that Texans would send him to the conference.
That leaves Garoppolo as a more likely option, he added.
“Garoppolo is probably the Patriots’ best option in terms of suitability and what it would take to acquire it (less than a player from the first round). But there is no guarantee that San Francisco is willing to move it, unless something potentially better appears, ”he wrote.
It has long been speculated that San Francisco would be ready to leave Garoppolo, who has been battling injuries.
Reiss noted that the Patriots would be strongly positioned to make a change, with more than $ 50 million in protected wage cap space for the next season, which could give them an advantage over other teams, as the wage cap is expected to decrease .
Although Stafford is no longer available, there have been rumors of connecting the 49ers to other signal callers. Like The Inquisitor reported, there are some insiders who believe the team could target Aaron Rodgers, who expressed some disappointment with the Packers at the end of the season.
There have been some reports suggesting that the Patriots’ head coach, Bill Belichick, wanted to keep Garoppolo instead of sending him to the 49ers. Like ESPN reported in 2018, team owner Robert Kraft told Belichick that Garoppolo, then Tom Brady’s reserve, would not be in the franchise’s long-term plans, which left Belichick “furious and demoralized”. The Patriots do not have a clear roadmap for the quarterback now, with Newton not returning and Jarrett Stidham failing to impress at their most limited opportunities.
Uncertainty hit some of the New England players, with safety Devin McCourty saying in his Double Cover podcast that he’s not sure what the plans are for the next season.
“There are many teams that need defenders. We’ll be in that race, ”said McCourty, via ESPN.
“The cam [Newton] come back? Do we have a new quarterback? Nobody knows that. “