The latest Jimmy Garoppolo news could be a smokescreen
Jimmy Garoppolo is reportedly not available in trades anymore, but that news could be out there in order to drive the price up for teams like the Cleveland Browns.
The 2017 NFL league year begins in a week, and the Cleveland Browns are still without a definitive starting quarterback. Once again.
One potential option for 2017 was seemingly shut down on Wednesday, according to a tweet from Adam Schefter.
In a move that will have a ripple effect on all QB-needy teams, Patriots are not expected to trade QB Jimmy Garoppolo, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2017
His report that Jimmy Garoppolo may no longer be on the trading block seemed to mean the Browns can no longer go that route, but that may be assuming too much.
Because as of right now, Tom Brady is set to start in New England for at least the next three seasons. And after the 2017 season, Garoppolo will be a free agent.
Trading him now allows the team to get some value in return before a potential departure. And with the value already being given to him, he could depart for a major contract in 2018.
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The goal of leaking this news may be to try to bait a team like the Browns into offering a first-round pick and more for Garoppolo, in order to entice the Patriots to part ways with the backup quarterback. It may not work, but it is better than openly saying they want to trade him. By making it more difficult, teams may increase his value even though nothing about him has changed.
The Browns have that No. 12 overall pick to trade if they believe Garoppolo could be a franchise-changing player, and the Patriots know this. The key for the Browns will be to cut off communications, and see if the Patriots open up the possibility of trading Garoppolo during the NFL Draft. That is, if they still have interest in him.
The report from Schefter could hold true, but it just seems like an odd time to announce that Garoppolo is completely off-limits. With the freakishly healthy Tom Brady set to start through 2019, the team could get some major value for the young Garoppolo to help bolster the rest of the team, instead of getting nothing and having him sit on the bench.
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The Browns may continue to try to inquire about him, but they must not even consider the thought of bringing up the No. 1 overall pick. It is not likely that they would, but it is hard to say anything is impossible with this team.