San Francisco 49ers: 3 trade scenarios to move Jimmy Garoppolo
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers reunite Jimmy Garoppolo with Bill Belichick
Perhaps the most sensible trade destination this offseason for Jimmy Garoppolo would be the New England Patriots, backing up all the smoke recent reports have said about head coach Bill Belichick and Co. still having interest in the quarterback.
No other team went on as big a spending spree in free agency this offseason than the Patriots. And while Belichick re-signed quarterback Cam Newton to a one-year deal, New England still has a plethora of cap space to absorb Jimmy G’s contract after a would-be trade.
With such a move, Belichick would get the player he intended to replace now-Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.
All those Patriots free-agent pickups indicate they’d be more willing to win now rather than bank on a long-term rebuild, and Garoppolo would help engineer that.
The only question is what would the 49ers get back in return?
Belichick will be shrewd at the negotiation table, and it’s highly unlikely he’d dish back what would equate to the cost the Niners paid to get Garoppolo back in 2017, a second-round pick.
But Belichick could easily be more comfortable sending off a third- and fourth-round pick to San Francisco while absorbing the $23.6 million Garoppolo would make after the trade.
In a sense, that would be a favor back once again to the 49ers, who’d get draft capital while freeing themselves of Jimmy G’s contract.