The New England Patriots don’t appear to have given up on their hope of bringing Jimmy Garoppolo back into the fold.
On Friday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic outlined how the San Francisco 49ers’ blockbuster trade for the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft makes the Patriots’ life more difficult. If the Patriots had hoped to draft a quarterback, the price to trade up rose significantly with the 49ers’ move. Plus, the chances of a quarterback dropping are significantly lower now that it looks like three will go in the first three picks, which was not previously the case.
The trade has, however, made the future of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo more murky. Howe reports that teams are skeptical of the Niners’ insistence that Garoppolo is not available for trade, and some think he will ultimately become available. Howe adds that the Patriots are monitoring Garoppolo’s availability, and would have done so even without the 49ers’ blockbuster trade.
The Patriots already re-signed Cam Newton, but the fact that they’re still assessing the market indicates that they’re not averse to finding an upgrade. They’ve been pretty clear about their interest in Garoppolo, and are likely to be first in line if he does become available.
