New England Patriots trade Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco 49ers
By Nick Ziegler
The New England have reportedly traded quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers with the trade deadline quickly approaching.
With the NFL trade deadline nearly here, the New England Patriots were active as they usually are. Even though trades in the NFL are generally rare, the Patriots are a team that always makes moves at the trade deadline.
Generally, the Patriots like to trade players that they don’t believe they will be signing in free agency. The Patriots like to get something back for players that would be letting walk at the end of the season, as this is one of the reasons why they have been so successful for so many years.
According to Adam Schefter, the Patriots have agreed to trade Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a second-round pick.
Major QB shakeup: 49ers trading 2018 2nd-round draft pick to New England for Patriots’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 31, 2017
This is certainly a great deal for the 49ers. With a new coaching staff and front office, the 49ers now have a quarterback that they will be able to groom. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has had a lot of success with quarterbacks in the NFL, but San Francisco clearly didn’t have their future franchise quarterback on the roster.
While Garoppolo is a free agent at the end of the season, the 49ers will likely be looking to sign him to a long-term deal. Even though the sample size is very small for Garoppolo, he looked good as the starting quarterback for the Patriots last season. In a game and a half, Garoppolo played well and his value went through the roof.
The Patriots would have likely wanted to keep Garoppolo around as the backup, but it would have been extremely expensive for them. The second round pick as compensation seems a bit low for a potential starting quarterback in the NFL, but his value certainly had to drop a bit considering we are halfway through the season.
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With Brady showing no signs of slowing down, moving Garoppolo makes sense. However, the Patriots now really need to protect Brady, as they have traded both of their backup quarterbacks this season.