The New England Patriots have traded backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick in 2018. News of the trade was first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The 49ers are also reportedly releasing quarterback Brian Hoyer.
Garoppolo, 25, was originally selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft and the 49ers are hopeful he can be their quarterback of the future. The move should end any talk of Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins reuniting with Kyle Shanahan next offseason.
The 49ers have started the season losing each of their first eight games, which is the worst start in franchise history. San Francisco headed into the 2017 offseason with Hoyer as its undisputed starting quarterback. The team selected former Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard in the third round of April's draft.
Six games into the season, Beathard replaced Hoyer as the 49ers' starting quarterback and was declared the starter going forward. Through three games, the rookie completed just 52.7-percent of his passes for 647 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 65.2.
Garoppolo has appeared in 17 games while starting two over his four seasons with New England. During that time, he has completed 67-percent of his passes for 690 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 106.2.
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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.
Shanahan scouted Garoppolo during his time with the Cleveland Browns and had a high grade on the Eastern Illinois product coming out of college. However, Cleveland opted to select quarterback Johnny Manziel with the 22nd-overall pick in 2014. 40 picks later, Garoppolo was selected by New England.
"Yeah, they had me look at every quarterback and evaluate every quarterback," Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area in February. "That's pretty much how it is everywhere. They ask you to evaluate everyone and you give grades and you tell people who you want and you wait to see what happens."
Garoppolo is in the final year of his rookie contract and the 49ers have the salary cap space to work on a long-term deal. First, he will need to learn Shanahan's playbook. It is unknown how soon Garoppolo will be able to start for the 49ers.
"He was a very good thrower," Shanahan said in February. "Tough guy, kept his eyes down the field, could get rid of the ball fast. Really liked the person. Had a chance to go out to dinner with him and stuff. He played at Eastern Illinois, and it was a different type of offense where you can't always evaluate with how quick they get rid of the ball. But I really thought he was a very intelligent, tough player with a good throwing motion."
The 49ers had extra picks in the second, third and seventh rounds in 2018.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) October 31, 2017
The 49ers had extra picks in the second, third, and fourth rounds of next year's draft. The additional second was a result of a draft-day trade with the New Orleans Saints.
Monday's trade dramatically impacts the 49ers' 2018 draft. It was assumed San Francisco would use its top selection on a quarterback. Now, the team can select any position it desires as it continues the rebuilding process. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley was recently the top-ranked player on Mel Kiper's latest Big Board.