Jimmy Garoppolo was hoping a four-game audition at the start of the season would cement his status as a starting quarterback in the NFL, even if not with the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury changed things a bit after a strong start.
But Garoppolo is hopeful missing two games won’t hurt his future.
“We had a good thing going there for a while … The first two games went really well, we were rolling,” he told Mike Reiss of ESPN.com this week. “But I always tell myself ‘everything happens for a reason.’ There was a reason that happened, and hopefully good things will come from it.”
There’s reason to believe sitting on the sideline in Week 3 and Week 4 didn’t hurt Garoppolo’s trade value. Some NFL executives reportedly told ESPN’s Mike Sando that the Patriots should be looking to get multiple early-round draft picks (as many as two first-rounders) for Garoppolo.
In the short time he was the starter, Garoppolo certainly looked capable. He completed 70 percent of his passes and threw four touchdowns passes. Perhaps more importantly, he did not throw an interception. Teams are surely excited about a 24-year-old quarterback who shows that type of potential in a great system.
Some have questioned whether Garoppolo could have played through pain. Others wonder if the Patriots were being overly cautious with him because they didn’t want to risk having him struggle and teams getting bad film on the third-year pro. In any event, Garoppolo said the sprained AC joint he suffered “hurt like hell.”
“It’s a violent game, things are going to happen, but it sucks when you’re not out there,” he said. “It was an uncomfortable feeling, especially when it’s your throwing arm. It’s tough to get back as fast as you want to. You think you can do things — throws here, throws there — but you can’t do them because of the injury.”
The Patriots have a big decision to make going forward. With the way Tom Brady looked against the Cleveland Browns, it’s possible the 39-year-old could play at a high level for at least two or three more seasons. Garoppolo is under contract for short money through next season, but after that he’ll be in line for a significant raise. New England has never paid a backup quarterback big money, which is one of the many reasons the Pats stay competitive every year.
If someone were to ask Bill Belichick what the team plans to do about the quarterback situation in the future, we know the exact answer they would get. Don’t expect any clarity until at least this winter.
