NEWSLETTER
Trading for Jimmy Garoppolo would not only impact the future of any given franchise, it would also shake up the entire upcoming NFL Draft.
Over at Bleacher Report, Mike Freeman writes that a blockbuster trade headlined by Tom Brady’s backup in New England is exactly the kind of thing that could be a game-changer on multiple levels.
And moreover, Freeman says he is hearing that several teams are lining up and preparing to make blockbuster trade offers to the Patriots for Garoppolo.
The increasing belief around the league, Freeman says, is that some believe Garoppolo is a transcendent talent who is worthy of [giving up] a first-round pick.
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That seems to be a belief based on desperation in a league where there are more quarterback openings than there are suitable quarterbacks to fill them. Further, it is a hope that three seasons under Brady, Bill Belichick, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will help a player with only 94 career passes on his resume translate into a leading man.
The Browns, 49ers, Jets, and Bills are among the teams with top-10 picks who could fulfill New England’s needs in a trade. In fact, Cleveland has a second first-rounder (12th overall) it can dangle in a deal, as well. Of course, a team could always emerge from the back of the pack and wow the Patriots in a trade.
New Orleans coach Sean Payton says his team is always in the hunt for a quarterback, while Denver – which owns the 20th pick – would be the kind of team in a position to take on the risk of dealing a first-round pick because of the high-end talent the team has at other skill positions.
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And, of course, as owners of the third overall pick, the Chicago Bears would be among those teams in a position to make such a blockbuster deal.
Further, if the Bears went all-in on a deal that sent the third overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft to New England, it would be the first time a team dealt a top-10 pick for a quarterback since Buffalo traded the ninth pick to Jacksonville in 1999 for backup Rob Johnson. That pick went on to become running back Fred Taylor, a 2007 Pro Bowler who had seven 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
It takes two to tango in any blockbuster deal, but only one – like the Bears – has to have a high pick.
