ESPN's Jordan Schultz recently reported that the New England Patriots are no longer pursuing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Of course, watching John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan being chatty with Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniel at Alabama's pro day on Tuesday is enough to create more speculation.
What were they discussing? Was it where they got their morning coffee? Was Belichick sharing where to obtain golfing attire? Did Garoppolo's name come up at any point during the socialization?
ESPN's Dianna Russini doesn't believe that Belichick and company have given up hope of reuniting with Garoppolo in New England, especially after San Francisco traded up to the No. 3 spot to acquire a quarterback of the future.
"I've talked to a bunch of people in the league about this, and enough people I trust have told me that the Patriots' interest in Jimmy Garoppolo has been consistent," Russini said Wednesday on ESPN's Get Up! "This has got to be more San Francisco willing to make the deal and, of course, New England having the right amount of picks and the money to get Jimmy, to bring him back. And that's really what it's going to come down to."
Russini adds that most around the league believe that the Patriots plan to draft a quarterback in the upcoming draft. That could be interpreted to mean that a trade of Garoppolo would need to take place before or even during the draft.
Although, some wonder if the 49ers would be willing to part with Garoppolo and go with a rookie under center, knowing that they have a championship-caliber roster in place right now.
Tedy Bruschi feels that the asking price for Garoppolo may be too high now, considering the team's plan for the upcoming season appears to include Garoppolo. The Patriots aren't likely to overpay for the quarterback, and members of San Francisco's brass might need an enticing enough offer to motivate them to deviate from their plan.
"For me, that goes against everything that Bill Belichick is—to play a high price for a player that has poor durability," Bruschi said.
Perhaps Garoppolo does return to New England at some point. However, if we take what everyone is saying at face value, it may not happen this year.
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.
