The Patriots are the absolute best at playing the rest of the NFL for the saps that many of them are. There are always the teams that absolutely jump into a total panic mode and vastly overpay for a …ahem “franchise quarterback”. Right, Minnesota?
The Vikings were this season’s version of the panicked snow birds. You know…the people that at the first sign of a snow storm rush to the grocery store and buy all the milk and bread because they’re worried about an inch or two will turn Greater Boston into a Donner Party/Walking Dead scenario.
The Vikings lost Teddy Bridgewater early in 2016 and then went overboard and overpaid, to the tune of a first and a fourth-round pick for “I’m more fragile than a carton of eggs on a three-legged mule” Sam Bradford. Philadelphia recognized this and was more than happy to ship off the guy they had no long-term plans for. Which brings us to Jimmy Garoppolo.
Adam Schefter of ESPN was on WEEI this week and said his sources within the Patriots have told him that the baseline for a trade for Jimmy G. would begin with the Bradford deal, a first and a fourth rounder. While I like Schefter and admire him as a guy who always gets to the bottom of things before everyone else, I think he got played a little bit by the Patriots Ministry of Propaganda here.
Schefter’s proclamation on WEEI just legitimized the Patriots asking price. Because in a league with a need for starting caliber QBs and a weak draft class on tap for the 2017 NFL Draft, Garoppolo’s trade value has never been higher. Sports talk radio and television have been inundated with the talk of this and it has to be music to the ears of Bill Belichick.
Because by pulling the strings behind the scenes, Belichick is playing the saps like a Stradivarius. He already set tongues wagging by activating rookie QB Jacoby Brissett off of IR, saying it was just a depth issue. But the subliminal message was that this is a sign that Jimmy G can be had….at the right price. They leak out thru Schefter that Garoppolo can be had and let the bidding war commence. With a healthy dose of sports talk, paving the way.
Tom Brady is still playing at the peak of his powers and the talk of his falling off a cliff because of his age, seems like just wishful thinking on some people’s part. He could conceivably play another 2-3 years the way he’s going and give them time to groom another successor.
Would the Patriots take a first and fourth for Garoppolo? In a New York second, they would. Look, the bottom line is, Garoppolo has made great strides in his third year and now can command the offense, as best as can be ascertained. He makes his reads much faster now and has a lightning quick release. He’s athletic and has the upside to show that he could possibly be a franchise QB. Possibly.
But the caveat is still this. He’s only started two games in his career. That is far too short of a work history for a club to invest multiple picks, to include a first rounder for. How many QBs have we seen over the years light it up in their first few games and then when opponents get a look at his tape begin to struggle?
We’ve said on here all along, that a second-rounder is probably the right compensation for Jimmy G and if you can get perhaps a two and a five? That’s a good deal. A first and a fourth… the Patriots would do it tomorrow.
And now with all of the talk centered around the asking price of a first and a fourth…it is automatically legitimate thanks to Schefter’s appearance on WEEI. I think Jimmy G can be a very good QB in this league if he lands in the right spot. But if I’m a GM, there isn’t any way I’m paying that for him. Does that mean the Patriots won’t get it? Nope.
Never underestimate the stupidity of the panicked masses.
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
