Patriots ‘not expected to trade Garoppolo’

NFL.com’s Adam Schefter tweeted out this morning that the New England Patriots are unlikely to trade backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at this time. The Patriots, of course, could franchise tag Garoppolo after this coming season and then look to trade him. In the future, Garoppolo may even take over the starting job with Brady aging.

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ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss wrote he believes a first-round pick plus a conditional first-round choice would convince New England to deal Garoppolo despite its plan to keep him. Garoppolo will be a free agent after next season, and the Patriots would likely have to franchise him at more than $22 million for 2018 to keep him – as Tom Brady’s backup.

Later Wednesday, Schefter went on WEEI and double down on his report, saying: “This is nothing about smoke, this is nothing about leverage, this is nothing about them not getting the price they wanted”.

Clemson played in two straight national title games, winning one, with Watson at quarterback. But it’s hard to see the Patriots sticking to the “no matter what anybody offers” line if a top three draft pick is on the table.

For now, though, Garoppolo remains the most intriguing name this offseason.

Even with his obvious flaws, Kaepernick would be an interesting addition to a team planning on hosting a QB competition during training camp.

Garoppolo, 25, is scheduled to enter the final season of his rookie contract this year.

The understanding is that teams would rather have invested in Garoppolo, who has won a couple of National Football League games and learned from Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, than any of the upcoming draft prospects. The combine is the flawless setting for informal meetings, so Brown should know shortly if Garoppolo is no longer an option. Star defensive players Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins were both dealt away and the team still ended up winning the Super Bowl. An “amazing offer” might qualify as a top 10 pick, or draft picks equivalent to that value. A first-round pick is among the assets the Patriots are looking for in such a trade, according to Cabot. Or are they purposely proclaiming Garoppolo untouchable because, well, they can, and because they’d like other teams to know that, “If you want him, you better call us with your Godfather offer”?