Will Jimmy Garoppolo's future lead to Cleveland?
New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went full-on Bill Belichick when his future after Sunday’s Super Bowl was brought up during interviews leading up to the game.
“Well, to be honest, I really haven’t thought about it much,” said Garoppolo on Wednesday. “It’s kind of … not even in the back of my mind. We’re focused on the Falcons this week. It’s a big week for us, biggest of the year, so that’s kind of where my mind is.”
When asked earlier in the week about a possible trade during the offseason, Garoppolo merely said, “I haven’t even thought about it to be honest. Sorry.”
There’s nothing to be sorry about, of course.? But Garoppolo might want to start thinking about his future.
Because after the Super Bowl, his name will be floated with rumors involving every team that needs a quarterback. Of course, the Cleveland Browns are one of those teams, and his name already has been bandied about as a possible Browns target.
There’s logic to that thinking.
The Patriots drafted Garoppolo in the second round in 2014. He signed a four-year deal, meaning he is under contract next season, but only for $820,000. This means the Patriots could easily afford to keep him one more season as Tom Brady’s backup.
The problem for New England would be what happens after the 2017 season. Garoppolo could then become a free agent. With Brady showing no signs of slowing down, Garoppolo would probably want to go to a team where he could play, meaning New England would lose him with no compensation.
Given the Patriots drafted Jacoby Brissett in 2016, they might prefer to trade Garoppolo this offseason and get something in return rather than wait a year and lose him for nothing.
Enter the Browns, who need a quarterback and have extra draft picks. If the team wanted to bypass a quarterback in the draft, it could package a couple of its picks and bring Garoppolo to Cleveland. Then, the team could use the rest of its draft picks to fortify its roster.
What would the price for Garoppolo be?
Minnesota gave up first- and fourth-round picks for quarterback Sam Bradford. Kansas City gave up two second-round picks for Alex Smith. The price for Garoppolo would seem closer to the one the Chiefs paid for Smith.
There will be competition. Kyle Shanahan favored Garoppolo in 2014, but the Browns drafted Johnny Manziel. Shanahan will be named coach of the 49ers after the Super Bowl. Chicago also needs a quarterback.
Garoppolo started two games this season when Brady was suspended. However, in the second game he hurt his right shoulder and missed the final two games of Brady’s suspension. One injury does not scream injury prone, but it does raise the question of durability.
Garoppolo had impressive numbers in his two starts, completing 42-of-59 passes for 496 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. His 119 rating ranked fourth in the league after two games. And he threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of the game when he got hurt.
Garoppolo is thought of well around the league. The thinking on the draft quarterbacks is that none are ready to play right away. Garoppolo would be.
It’s only logical that he would be prominent on the Browns’ list of possibilities.
