Tedy Bruschi thinks Tom Brady is a big reason Jimmy Garoppolo could land with Patriots
By Jerry Trotta
Former linebacker Tedy Bruschi touched on why Jimmy Garoppolo would make the most sense for the Patriots.
To say that the New England Patriots’ front office will have their work cut out for them this offseason would be a colossal understatement.
After the Cam Newton experiment proved to be a travesty, they will have a ton of pressure to find the right quarterback for 2021, whether it be through free agency, the draft or trade. Given how unappealing the upcoming gunslinger market is scheduled to look, their best options will likely boil down to either trading for a veteran or drafting a top prospect at No. 15 overall.
However, what if we told you that the Patriots could simply reunite with Jimmy Garoppolo? When you consider how uncertain his future with the 49ers is, fans would be hard-pressed to deny that the rumors speculating a potential reunion make perfect sense.
If you asked ESPN analyst and former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who appeared on WEEI Radio this week to offer his thoughts on the polarizing debate, Garoppolo might just be the best fit for the quarterback-needy franchise.
Tedy Bruschi on OMF explains why Jimmy Garoppolo may make most sense for Patriots https://t.co/ToExcp83pS pic.twitter.com/Tug7quobUc
— WEEI (@WEEI) January 14, 2021
"“This is why I think it is going to be so difficult and I think maybe Jimmy Garoppolo is the way to go because he’s been in New England before and played under Tom Brady and been in the stadium with all those banners to look up to and know he was somewhat part of it,” Bruschi said. “Any other quarterback, why do you want to follow Tom Brady?“You’re always going to be compared to the successes and the past, and that is going to make it a tough job. That’s going to make it a job to where guys will come in, ‘I can’t live up to that.’ I think the pressure is higher than ever in New England in terms of the next quarterback is going to be.”"
Essentially, Bruschi feels Garoppolo makes the most sense for the Patriots simply because he’s played for them before and is familiar with the pressure that comes with playing for a team that’s won six championships over the last two decades. He only appeared in 15 games (two starts) in his three years in New England, but he was very much a part of the daily grind for three seasons while playing under the winning-obsessed Tom Brady.
Not only that, but Jimmy G at least has an idea of what it might be like succeeding Brady, given he took over for four games when the six-time champ was suspended due to Deflategate.
On @TheGregHillShow, Mike Florio was asked for his prediction on who is the Patriots' QB in 2021: "I think they are going to end up with Jimmy Garoppolo. That's my gut-feeling right now."
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) January 7, 2021
It would’ve been nice if Bruschi touched on Garoppolo’s vulnerability in a collapsing pocket and his alarming proneness to injury — he’s missed 33 games over his four years with the 49ers — but we’re going to assume those question marks don’t worry him very much.
In a vacuum, the positives of trading for or signing Garoppolo (assuming he’s released) far outweigh the negatives, as he probably still has familiarity with the playbook, knows what the coaching staff expects from its players, and proved in 2019 that he’s capable of carrying a team deep into the playoffs as long as he has a solid defense and strong rushing attack.
We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but Patriots fans should probably start thinking about what it would look like if Garoppolo was the team’s starting quarterback in 2021.
