There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the New England Patriots' reasons for shipping quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for the reasonable price of a second-round pick. Some, like ESPN's Adam Schefter, felt the Patriots head coach Bill Belichick simply did the 49ers 'a solid' due to the respect he had for San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
That may not have been the reasoning behind the trade, according to a report that is due out by ESPN on Friday morning.
Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch provided the following details via Twitter about a power struggle between Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady, and owner Robert Kraft that may have been the catalyst for the trade. According to Allen, the report will state that Brady went to Kraft to force a Garoppolo trade by Belichick.
Source: ESPN readying new hit piece on Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft set to publish tomorrow morning at 8am. The topic will be a power struggle among the trio as to who deserves the most credit for the dynasty.
— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) January 5, 2018
The article claims that the rift is so severe many Patriots feel this is the last year together for the trio. Also that Brady went to Kraft to force Belichick to trade Jimmy G. ESPN is planning a full day of promotion tomorrow for the article and its author @SethWickersham
— Bruce Allen (@bruceallen) January 5, 2018
A Patriots power struggle does not bode well for the future of the successful franchise. The 49ers appear to have reaped the rewards of the potential internal conflict.
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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the ESPN story won't actually state that Brady forced a trade.
"A source with knowledge of the ESPN report tells PFT that the ESPN report will not contend that Brady tried to force a trade," writes Florio. "Beyond that, the specifics of the report aren't currently known."
On Tuesday, Lynch was asked if he had heard from Belichick or the Patriots since the trade.
"We don't talk about that," he answered. "We're onto the offseason."