New England Patriots: Trading Garoppolo opens up franchise tag for Malcolm Butler
By Brian Hines
The New England Patriots made a major move Monday night as the NFL trade deadline approaches.
The New England dealt backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Fransisco 49ers for a 2018 second-round draft pick.
Garoppolo has been the center of rumors ever since he showed his potential in his two starts during Brady’s suspension. Now that he is officially gone it brings up the question, what is next?
To start, New England has to bring in a new backup quarterback via free agency or trade. They have until Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline to explore the trade market.
The team dealt third-stringer Jacoby Brissett earlier this season for receiver Phillip Dorsett. After this deal, New England is left with just Tom Brady. It appears they bought into the idea that Tom Brady can play well into his 40’s at a competitive level, as he has shown no signs of slowing down.
After acquiring Garoppolo, San Fransisco released backup quarterback Brian Hoyer. Hoyer spent the first three years of his career in New England. He struggled this year before being benched for rookie C.J. Beathard. Perhaps a return to New England to backup Brady is in Hoyer’s future.
Other than the quarterback position, the Garoppolo deal could pave the way to a Malcolm Butler extension. New England was certainly interested in extending Garoppolo and have been negotiating with him since the Spring, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. There was even a chance they could have slapped the franchise tag on Garoppolo, keeping him around for another year.
For now, this deal keeps the franchise tag open as a realistic option for Butler as the team won’t have to consider using it on Garoppolo. The franchise tag number for cornerbacks in 2017 was $14.212 million.
Next: Team grades vs. Chargers
Butler is currently playing on his one-year first-round tender after being a restricted free agent in 2017. After investing $65 million over five years to Stephon Gilmore, Butler might be hesitant to play another season on a one-year deal.