As far as Jimmy is concerned, I see two scenarios (I don’t know which one is the more likely and whether it will work out, and whether Bob Kraft could buy a Delorean if mistaken) :
A-They get a trade offer they can’t pass up for Jimmy : Bill Belichick trades the likely high first round pick compensation for multiple early picks in 2017/2018,which is ok : considering how deep this draft is in several positions of long term need, we could trade down and still get a stud with our first selection. Within the next seasons, Bill elects to build a “silver and blue wall” OL (which would be the Scar’s legacy) + get a solid rb group assuming this would 1- lighten Brady’s burden / extend his career 2- ease the transition for Brissett who could at least develop into a Dak Prescott type of QB if given the same kind of protection + running support. Brissett would have to work hard to live up to the Front Office’s hight expectations but being the backup by the start of the 2017 OTA/TC would give him those much-needed practice reps he couldn’t get this year, which will accelerate his learning curve. He might eventually never match the Gropp passing skills but he may prove to be a reliable game manager that keeps us winning during a transition era, while the organization keeps searching the next reincarnation of Buddha if Jacoby is not the Chosen One.
B-They decide to keep Gropp after no teams gives the Pats their asking price : they will have to consider allocating 30 to 40 M$ on the position from 2018 to Brady’s retirement (which could happen anytime between 2019 and 2021 assuming he gets a last two year extension if still performing well, matching his own “5-7 years”, “until 45” predictions). They would have to find a creative way to split this QB Salary Cap between the two players (restructuration/extension for Brady, heavily backloaded contract for jimmy with enough guaranteed money to make him accept the deal + ltbe/nltbe bonuses for both that would lessen Brady’s cap/reward Jimmy if the later has to get more snaps than expected for any reason, Brady’s prematurate decline/retirement, injury, etc). They would also have to envision a Montana/Young type of transition where Jimmy is a legitimate “starter/reliever” getting some playing time here and there to reward his patience & practice work/keep him sharp and ready. 30/40M$ for the most important position in football doesn’t sound completely irrealistic in a long term perspective assuming the salary cap will keep growing. They would have to keep getting creative and cost-efficient for the rest of the roster during these 2-QB years (through the draft or FA/player trades, usual Belichick/Caserio business but the margin of error would be slimer).
Tough decision to be made soon, but i'm confident they will make the right call after evaluating each and every parameter. IBWT !
