There was almost a New England-Jimmy Garoppolo reunion before the 2021 NFL Draft, according to a tell-all new book.
Seth Wickersham’s “It’s Better to be Feared,” which was originally released on October 12, unveiled details into a potential trade the Patriots were trying to orchestrate before draft day with the San Francisco 49ers.
The swap that never was? The Patriots calling a high-level official with the 49ers inquiring about Garoppolo’s services.
What New England Wanted
Before ultimately deciding on Mac Jones out of Alabama, the Pats got on the phone lines to see if they could receive a second rounder in exchange for the former Patriots quarterback who once backed up Tom Brady before getting sent away in 2017.
But here’s why the move got botched according to a Tuesday, October 26 tweet from ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller:
Miller, though, took a more in-depth approach on his Instagram account by sharing one excerpt from the Wickersham book:
Also, via Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal on March 5, 2021, he pointed out that Jimmy G was “Plan A” for the Patriots — fueling the speculation of Garoppolo’s return to Foxboro. Bedard also mentioned Teddy Bridgewater in his report, especially with The Athletic’s Joseph Person revealing trade options for the ex-Carolina Panthers QB and wrote down the 49ers as an option in his March 1 article.
What Happened Afterwards
Considering the timeline of this mention by Wickersham in his novel, this possible move likely came before the 49ers made their aggressive draft day move with the Miami Dolphins to land at No. 3 overall, where they ended up taking Trey Lance out of North Dakota State.
Another reason? There was a change of heart in Foxboro.
“The Patriots reached the same conclusion as San Francisco — they liked the potential of the available first-round quarterbacks more than Garoppolo — and moved on,” Wickersham wrote.
Is Jimmy G Still the Answer?
The reactions sprouted across Twitter after the botched Garoppolo to New England trade.
One reaction came from Grant Cohn, who covers the 49ers on Sports Illustrated’s “All49ers,” wrote this via a tweet:
Meanwhile, NFL network analyst and longtime NFL offensive lineman Brian Baldinger was a guest on “The Morning Roast” show on 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area on Tuesday…and didn’t mince words about Jimmy G’s play so far in 2021.
“He’s just not good enough. He’s not accurate enough,” Baldinger said. “There’s only five (quarterbacks) — I don’t think there’s 10 of them in this league—where you can just count on them every single week. There’s just not that many. And so, you’re asking Jimmy to be stick accurate, almost every throw, and especially on third down to stay on the field. And he’s just not that guy right now.”
Additionally, Baldinger questioned Garoppolo’s decision making on a 3rd and 5 call during his “Baldy’s Breakdowns” on Twitter and how the 49ers QB zeroed in on a receiver who “hadn’t caught a pass in five weeks” and asking “this is your best option?”
That wasn’t all. Baldinger posted a clip from the 30-18 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on a botched potential long touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk:
Garoppolo has thrown six touchdown passes and four interceptions plus has accumulated 1,106 yards. As for Mac Jones in N.E., while he’s thrown more picks at six, he has more yards (1,779) and TD throws (9) than Jimmy G through seven games.
No comments:
Post a Comment