Patriots Rumors: NE working on new Jimmy G contract ahead of trade?
By Adam Weinrib
The day New England Patriots fans have been waiting for since the end of Cam Newton’s Year 1 finally arrives Thursday, and the question remains on everybody’s lips: Exactly how much is it going to cost to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo?
Kidding. Kind of.
The first round of the NFL Draft hits Thursday night, and with it comes New England’s highest pick in several decades at No. 15 overall.
Rumor has it the team is doing all its due diligence, calling about moving both up and back. At the end of the day, though, the man they end up with under center might be a familiar old friend instead of Mac or Justin.
As many of us have long suspected, the stars appear to be aligning to bring Jimmy G back to New England as part of a QB tandem with Newton for 2021.
According to NESN’s Dale Arnold, a reliable source has told him the Patriots are working out a new contract with Garoppolo that will precede a trade with the 49ers. That same source nailed Tom Brady’s departure for the Buccaneers last year, so he’s not to be trifled with.
What I’ve been told, by a reliable source —- @Patriots are working on a new contract for Jimmy G that could lead to a deal with @49ers. Same source who correctly told me Tom Brady had signed with @Buccaneers. Doesn’t mean it will get done, but they’re working on it.
— Dale Arnold (@DaleEArnold) April 28, 2021
Will the New England Patriots trade for Jimmy Garoppolo Thursday?
Of course, you don’t have to read the tea leaves to figure out that San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t completely sold on Garoppolo as his starter, despite a Super Bowl berth at the end of the 2019 season.
The team packaged several picks to move up to the third overall selection in Thursday’s draft, and no matter which smokescreen you believe, the Niners are tied to one of the top quarterbacks available.
And it was no “smokescreen” when Shanahan refused to endorse Garoppolo next week, dodging questions about his role by morbidly asserting we might not even be alive next week to discuss it.
Asked if he could guarantee that Jimmy Garoppolo would be on the 49ers’ roster Sunday, Kyle Shanahan said, “I can’t guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive Sunday."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2021
If Garoppolo returns to New England, Bill Belichick will be getting back a quarterback he’d always intended to replace Tom Brady with before Robert Kraft reportedly meddled in the team’s structure and extended Brady’s reign.
At the right price, a reunion would be exceedingly sweet, and could occur within the next 24 hours.
If so, the Patriots will have one hell of a beautiful “trade down” opportunity ahead of them, too. Double win for Belichick.
