{"id":11863,"date":"2017-02-03T15:42:59","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T20:42:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=11863"},"modified":"2017-02-03T15:42:59","modified_gmt":"2017-02-03T20:42:59","slug":"jimmy-garoppolo-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/02\/03\/jimmy-garoppolo-question\/","title":{"rendered":"The Jimmy Garoppolo Question"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the biggest questions heading into the off-season involves the Patriots\u2019 plans for Jimmy Garoppolo<\/strong>. Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s talented, but minimally tested backup is heading into the final year of his rookie contract. With Brady showing no signs of wear, the Patriots have to ask themselves if dishing out a big enough contract to retain Garoppolo is valuable to the franchise. That being said, Peyton Manning<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s awful final season was only two removed from his MVP year in 2013. As incredible as Tom Brady has been in 2016, there\u2019s literally no guarantee that he can sustain his level of play going forward. Now, I\u2019m not saying Brady is going to fall off a cliff, but the Patriots would be wise to keep an insurance policy around. So the question is, \u2018is Jimmy Garoppolo that guy?\u2019<\/p>\n

The Jimmy Garoppolo Question<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From the New England Perspective<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Brady\u2019s future may not be concrete, but the general consensus is that he has at least<\/em> two or three more solid seasons left before he inevitably declines. The Patriots will<\/em> replace him, but that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they\u2019ll replace him with Jimmy Garoppolo.<\/p>\n

Garoppolo is an unrestricted free agent in 2018 and there will be no shortage of suitors for his services when the time comes. If Brady is willing to play in 2018 and beyond, the Patriots aren\u2019t likely to pay Garoppolo, their backup, the same amount of money that other teams would give him to start. Knowing this, the Patriots may attempt to shop him this offseason in an attempt to get something<\/em> this year, versus nothing<\/em> next year. There have already been rumors that both the Browns and Bears are interested, but the point is that Garoppolo may be more valuable to the Patriots as a trading piece than as a successor.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no way Garoppolo overtakes Tom Brady as the starter in the short-term, and the Patriots may already have a solution for their backup role: Jacoby Brissett<\/a><\/strong>. When Garoppolo went down in week two with a shoulder injury, Brissett competently took over the reins for the Patriots until Brady\u2019s return from suspension. He\u2019s not exactly the next Michael Vick<\/a><\/strong>, but he\u2019s good enough to be Brady\u2019s backup while the Patriots draft a true successor in the future. Essentially, the Patriots have all the leverage in this situation \u2013 so long as Brady remains healthy.<\/p>\n

Have We Seen Enough of Him?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s assume the Patriots believe Brady will play at least two to three more seasons and are content with Brissett as their backup. This leaves Garoppolo as the odd man out, but is there really enough for interested teams to go on? How do we know that Garoppolo isn\u2019t the next Brock Osweiler<\/a><\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Garoppolo has only started in two<\/em> games \u2013 and he didn\u2019t even finish the second one. Granted, he was great in that little window, but teams would have to be crazy to assume<\/em> he is a franchise starter. I\u2019m not saying he can\u2019t be; there\u2019s just so little film on him. We\u2019ve seen him beat a Cardinals team that ended up 7-8-1 and a Miami team that had a below-average defense and lost five of its first six games.<\/p>\n

However, those two games shouldn\u2019t be disregarded either. Against Arizona, Garoppolo was missing two starting offensive linemen and<\/em> Rob Gronkowski<\/a><\/strong>, and threw the ball just as much as he handed it off. That last bit may not seem as important, but the Patriots allowed Garoppolo, a backup, to throw the ball 33 times against Patrick Peterson<\/a><\/strong> and Tyrann Mathieu. That shows the coaching staff had confidence in his ability against what was then considered a Super Bowl-favorite team. As for Miami, Garoppolo left the game about halfway through the second quarter, after <\/em>he built an insurmountable lead.<\/p>\n

But, Is Garoppolo\u00a0Even Good?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In five quarters, Garoppolo\u00a0threw four touchdowns for nearly 500 yards without any turnovers. Jimmy might not have a lot of game film, though he\u2019s legit in the film he does<\/em> have. But that\u2019s the macro observation, what about the nitty-gritty of his game? Garoppolo had a favorable scouting report and was projected as a first or second round pick, but the organization under which he has developed says even more. Few, if any, teams coach as well as the Patriots.<\/p>\n

Also notable, on FS1\u2019s The Herd<\/em>, NFL Films senior producer and analyst Greg Cosell had this to say about Garoppolo. He has \u201creally quick feet, he\u2019s got a very quick delivery, he\u2019s very compact, he\u2019s a precise player, and he\u2019s got the added element of movement to him.\u201d Essentially, there\u2019s a lot going for him. When Cosell was asked about how Garoppolo would fit in a place like Cleveland, he felt that Hue Jackson would see Jimmy as a guy who could run his offense \u201cquickly and efficiently.\u201d\u00a0 That might not be an All-Pro endorsement, but Jimmy would probably be an upgrade over many teams\u2019 current options at the position.<\/p>\n

Then Who Would Trade for Him?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I already mentioned that the Browns and Bears want him. Cleveland hasn\u2019t had a long-term, quality quarterback in like three centuries and the Bears may finally be done with Jay Cutler<\/a><\/strong>. Both teams have loads of cap space<\/a>, so they could offer him a large contract when Garoppolo becomes a free agent.<\/p>\n

San Francisco could also be a viable trading partner, especially with offensive guru Kyle Shanahan as head coach. Shanahan was recently quoted<\/a> as having a strong interest in Garoppolo when he was the offensive coordinator in Cleveland in 2014 \u2013 that interest may still linger. Plus, it would be a splash move for John Lynch<\/a><\/strong>, the 49ers\u2019 new general manager.\u00a0Lynch’s hire was a shock so\u00a0he might want to win back the press conference with an aggressive move.<\/p>\n

The Texans and Jets could enter the mix as well, though both of these teams already have a lot of financial questions at the position. That goes double for the Texans, who may not want to try free agency again to solve their quarterback issues. Regardless, Garoppolo will generate attention if the Patriots decide to shop him because he\u2019s low-risk-high-reward. Even if a team gives up an RGIII<\/a><\/strong> ammount\u00a0of picks for him, that team can cut him because his cap hit is so low and there\u2019s no obligation to resign him. At the very least, a team could trade for Garoppolo for a trial run.<\/p>\n

But What if Garoppolo Wants to Stay?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The simple answer is that it doesn\u2019t matter what Garoppolo wants because he\u2019s already under contract. New England can basically do as they wish with him. However, say he decides to play \u2018company guy\u2019 and not only refrains from demanding a trade, but patiently waits for Brady to retire too. Garoppolo would be a clear front-runner for the most coveted quarterback job in the league. He has talent and the Patriots know him better than anyone else.<\/p>\n

Say Brady puts up one more elite season then throws up a dud the following year. Bill Belichick never demonstrates loyalty to his players. Jamie Collins<\/a><\/strong> and Chandler Jones<\/a><\/strong> were two of the best players on New England\u2019s defense last season. They\u2019re both gone. This isn\u2019t a criticism, just an observation. Belichick only <\/em>cares about winning: you fit his program, it doesn\u2019t fit you. Brady may be synonymous with the Patriots\u2019 brand, but even he\u2019s not immune to Belichick\u2019s philosophies. If Brady\u2019s play declines, Belichick will promote Garoppolo. It\u2019s the nature of his business.<\/p>\n

Also, consider this. How many commercials did Tom Brady do five years ago? And how many does he do now? It\u2019s a sizeable difference, and while this may be speculation, Brady may<\/em> see the end of the road. If Garoppolo is aware of this, he\u00a0could decide to stay in New England \u2013 there aren\u2019t better options elsewhere. Few coaching staffs are as elite and fewer organizations are as well-run.<\/p>\n

The Verdict<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ultimately, Garoppolo\u2019s future resides on any trade proposals that might find their way to Belichick\u2019s desk this offseason. The Browns have two first round draft choices and ten more scattered in later rounds. They could certainly create an offer if they feel Jimmy has more upside than any of this year\u2019s prospects. If New England doesn\u2019t receive any worthy offers, they may simply try to keep him for the future. Garoppolo will have at least more four years of experience in the Patriots\u2019 system than any rookie and he\u2019s tentatively proven that he\u2019s a quality player.<\/p>\n

If Garoppolo does leave by trade or choice, it\u2019s extremely unlikely that he has the same level of success that he would have with the Patriots. He\u2019s already in the best building he can be in.<\/p>\n

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