You are going to hear the name of New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a lot once the offseason hits. During an interview on "Kirk and Callahan" on WEEI in Boston, Adam Schefter of ESPN said the starting point in negotiations for the backup quarterback would be a first and fourth-round pick. It's the same bounty that the quarterback-needy Minnesota Vikings gave up for Sam Bradford following the injury to Teddy Bridgewater.
.@AdamSchefter says discussions for Jimmy G in a trade start at a 1st & 4th round draft pick (the Sam Bradford return)
— Kirk and Callahan (@KirkAndCallahan) December 28, 2016
Due to the four-game suspension of starting quarterback Tom Brady, Garoppolo started two games for the Patriots to kick off the 2016 season. He completed 24 of 33 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown in New England's 23-21 Week 1 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Garoppolo was supposed to start all four games but was sidelined with a sprained AC joint during the second quarter of the Week 2 contest against the Miami Dolphins.
Garoppolo has a 107.4 career passer rating. Of course, that is just through 93 career passes. He has five touchdowns and no interceptions. Of course, that is just through 16 games and two starts. He has completed 67.7 percent of his career passes. San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly, who is not guaranteed to return to the team in 2017, values accuracy in his quarterbacks. No 49ers quarterback has completed more than 57.9 percent of his passes this season.
We knew that the cost for Garoppolo would be high, but now we know how high. The 49ers, of course, will have either the first or second pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. That pick would certainly hold too much value to trade for Garoppolo. However, two 49ers beat writers had some ideas on how the 49ers could acquire the quarterback – should they feel that he can be their future signal caller for years to come.
49ers insider Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area came up with a scenario where the 49ers would not even have to touch their first round selection and a scenario that might be intriguing to the New England Patriots. During an interview on "Rise Guys" on ESPN 1320 last week, Maiocco suggested the possibility of giving up two second round selections instead.
RELATED Matt Maiocco is a fan of the 49ers going after Jimmy Garoppolo
"The little bit I saw of [Garoppolo], I liked his pocket presence," Maiocco said. "I liked the way he gets rid of the football. I like his accuracy. I like everything about him and he's had some really good coaching for three years. I think you've got to be aggressive and you've got to go after him. Obviously, not give up your first round pick this year, but maybe two seconds (or) something like that. And if you pay the price to get some guy (like Garoppolo), now you don't need to get that quarterback in round one or round two because you already have the guy that you think is going to be the future."
Beat writer Chris Biderman of Niners Wire came up with two other scenarios and one of them was very interesting. He suggests trading down and using some of the bounty to acquire Garoppolo. "If they pick second, they trade back, get multiple early-round picks in return and use some of those assets in a trade to the Patriots," Biderman explains. "The Eagles sent two firsts, two thirds and a fourth for the No. 2-overall pick last spring to take Carson Wentz."
Of course, Biderman reminds us that there may not be a player like Wentz in the 2017 NFL Draft worth surrendering that many picks for. However, that could change as the draft nears. If someone's stock rises during the NFL Combine, that could bode well for the 49ers and the asking price for whichever pick they end up with.
Biderman's other option involved swapping first-round selections with the Patriots. Of course, the pick they might end up with would be at the end of the first round – perhaps even the final pick should the Patriots win the Super Bowl.
Whatever happens, the 49ers have to be considered as one of the teams that might try to make a play for the Patriots quarterback. After all, Colin Kaepernick is expected to opt out of the remainder of his contract to become a free agent and no other 49ers quarterback is under contract beyond 2016. The Patriots may even wait until closer to the draft to allow the offers to pile up before making a decision.
There is a lot of risk in trading for Garoppolo, so the 49ers and whoever ends up being in charge will have to make certain that a move like that pays off for the franchise.