Of course it would be open comp between him and Cam. Cam would have
no prob with that.
You don’t know that. Cam hasn’t given any indication that he would accept a backup role. This is what he said prior to re-signing with the Pats:
Cam Newton acknowledged in an interview with sports radio WEEI on Monday that he didn't have the season he had hoped for but said it's "too early to tell" if he'd accept a backup role in the future.
www.espn.com
"I know out of 32 guys, I'm not the 32 position rank. So you have to also understand, I'm a competitor first. I know what my skill set is, I know what my talent is. I understand that if given the opportunity, there is nobody better than me. That's how I'll always feel. I have to also feel realistic about the opportunity that is presented as well," Newton said in the radio interview.
"If you are asking me, Do I want to be a backup? Hell no! When I look at other teams, and I'm looking at other players play, there have been guys that have been getting away with murder for years because of subpar play. Do I have the right to say that with the year I had this year? No. But I'm going to be honest and say it because that's what I do."
Those are the words of a man who still believes he’s a starter in this league. You assume Garoppolo desperately wants out because his team has traded for his replacement, yet you think Cam would be fine with the Pats trading for his replacement? Again, Cam still thinks he’s an NFL starting QB, but he can’t go out and prove that if he’s benched at the end of training camp. You’d be naive to believe that would sit well with him. Maybe, just maybe, he’d be a good soldier knowing Garoppolo’s durability concerns may give him an opening over the course of the season. Maybe he gives Belichick that respect. But it’s also just as possible Belichick gives Cam the respect of being able to pursue another team to play for. One that didn’t just trade for his replacement.
As far as this statement of yours:
Pats can afford him. And they may only keep him one year anyway.
Tells me you don’t understand how the salary cap works. As of this moment the Pats have little over $15 million in cap space available. Garoppolo’s cap hit for this season alone is over $26 million, and it goes to $27 million next year. Without a restructure, the Pats would be $11 million over the cap if they traded for him.
They obviously need the cap space to sign their draftees (they currently have 10 draft picks heading into Thursday) as well as any undrafted free agents, and any cuts that take place over the course of the summer, and a buffer to work with during the season itself. The 49ers have expressed no interest in restructuring Garoppolo’s contract themselves, which would add years of dead money to their own salary cap. To afford Garoppolo in a trade, the Pats would have to get creative and restructure his deal after he is acquired to make it team friendly for this season, kicking the can down years. He’s owed $50.5 million over the next two seasons, and it’s anyone’s guess how much of that he’d be willing to give up for a chance to start with the Pats.
The other mistake you make is saying they only need him for one year. If the Pats have Lance, sure. But you’re not taking into account the possible restructured deal. Right now his current contract has no guaranteed money. The 49ers could cut him tomorrow and suffer a cap hit of only $2.8 million. Or they can cut him next year and the cap hit is only $1.4 million. That’s less in both years combined than what the Pats’ dead cap would be if they cut Cam this year ($5.5 million).
Given the lack of guaranteed money on Garoppolo’s contract, it would only make sense that he agree to the trade and restructure his contract if he sees guaranteed money out of it (I’d wager more than half of his remaining salary at least). Why else would he accept a lateral move: if you’re willing to dump Garoppolo after one year, how is that any different than his situation in San Francisco, except he’d get paid more money this season? If he were to look out for the Pats by restructuring to a friendly deal to fit in this year’s cap, the Pats need to look out for him in return in the form of guaranteed money. It only makes sense. So yes, they might be able to afford him, but only if they agree on a restructure, and it wouldn’t be for just one year. And it wouldn’t make sense to do that if Garoppolo is not the guy you want leading this team beyond this season.
The problem here is you’re only seeing this with rose tinted glasses on, from the perspective of what would be most convenient for the Pats. Trust me I would love nothing more than to the see our prodigal son Garoppolo return home and sacrifice a ton of his salary for the benefit of the team, while Cam, a former MVP and more accomplished player to this point, accepts a backup role for the first time in his career, while still landing Lance (or Fields) without having to give up any additional assets in the process. It’s fun to imagine. But if you think it’s a realistic possibility then you’re wrong.
- Jimmy’s not coming here without some sort of commitment from the Pats, in terms of years or guaranteed money or both. He is not a charity case and the Pats do not have the cap space to handle his current contract without some sort of restructure.
- Cam almost certainly did not sign here with the understanding that he’s going in as a backup. He’s a leader who wants to start and to mentor his teammates. I’m sure he’d be fine if the Pats traded for their 2022 Week 1 starter, but not for their 2021 Week 1 starter. Business is business and the Pats have to look out for their business but Cam needs to look out for his as well, and being benched is bad for his business.
- Lance and Fields are too good to make it all the way to 15. The Pats can still get one of them, but 99% chance they’d have to trade up to make it happen. I’d be shocked if another team didn’t trade ahead of them to get whoever’s left between them.
Your fantasy scenario has too many factors working against it to be plausible. I’d be more than happy to be wrong here, I would personally apologize to you and celebrate if it all came true. But I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that.
