Tag Archives: Possible trades

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL, San Francisco 49ers

Patriots Trade Jimmy Garoppolo to 49ers; Thoughts and Why It’s a Good Trade

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The Patriots have officially traded backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. This trade comes as a major surprise to just about everyone, especially after the Patriots did not trade Garoppolo during the 2017 offseason or NFL Draft. There were reports all offseason and even on draft night that the Cleveland Browns had major interest in acquiring the quarterback, but the Patriots did not want to move on from Garoppolo. There were even some rumors and reports claiming that the Browns were willing to trade two first-round draft picks to acquire the Patriots backup.

There are a few different ways you could look at this trade; don’t like that the Patriots traded Garoppolo in general, don’t like how they didn’t trade him for the rumored Cleveland deal during the last NFL offseason, or happy that they moved on from Garoppolo and still at least get something for him. Consider me part of the latter two. Garoppolo’s trade value was never going to be higher than it was this past NFL offseason after playing a good six quarters against the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins during Tom Brady’s four-game suspension, and he had one year left on his deal. The Patriots could have moved on from Garoppolo then and potentially could have gotten more in a deal, they didn’t. Belichick coveted Garoppolo and talked great about him all offseason to the point you didn’t think he was trying to drive up trade value, you got the sense that Belichick believed in Garoppolo and him potentially being the quarterback of the future for the Patriots.

The question then comes to why trade Garoppolo now? Many reasons, the biggest likely being the play of Tom Brady, who at 40-years old has shown no signs of regressing and seems to be getting better with age. Another reason could be maybe the team has had talks with Garoppolo and his agent Don Yee that could have gone bad where maybe Garoppolo said he didn’t want to be in New England after the year and wouldn’t sign an extension with the team or wouldn’t sign the franchise tag if it was given to him by the team in the offseason; which wouldn’t allow the team to trade him, ultimately making him a free agent following the 2018 season and the team getting nothing for him. And then there’s the reality that the Patriots are banged up on both sides of the football and that they likely need to make a move before the trade deadline at 4pm on Tuesday. The Patriots only had five draft picks for the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft prior to the Garoppolo deal, making it hard to move any of their current picks to acquire players in any potential trade. The only way to get more assets is to give up one of your own, and the Patriots had a great one to give up just sitting on their bench. I fully expect the Patriots to make another big move before the trade deadline, either giving up their own first round pick or the pick they acquired from San Francisco, which will likely end up being number 33 or 34 overall.

I was never a big Garoppolo fan or a believer that he was the quarterback of the future. I thought he could have and should have played last year following the AC Joint injury in his shoulder because he was fighting for a job, if not here than somewhere. People make the argument “he had a good six quarters” and that’s all it was, six quarters. People also often forget about the four bad quarters he had against Buffalo in the 2014 season finale, though I even give him some benefit of the doubt there that he had more time to learn and develop. But what about the struggles every year in training camp and preseason that he had? I never saw what other people did in Garoppolo where he was going to be a great NFL quarterback, I think he would and will probably be good but he won’t be great. I LOVE this trade because you’re still getting something for him while you can, and I think what you got will turn into something else before the 4pm trade deadline on Tuesday.

PS: Brady for five more years!!!

PPS: Former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer was just released as I’m writing this, guarantee he will be signed as the Patriots backup.

AFC, New England Patriots, NFL

Patriots: 5 Training Camp Moves the Patriots Should Make

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patriots.com
patriots.com

As training camp creeps closer, you can see the long days of summer start to wane and autumn is on the horizon. With that, the much maligned New England Patriots start their defense of their much earned, yet much (unjustly) scrutinized title defense. With 90 players on the team, coaches and GM’s are trying to decide who makes the cut and who doesn’t. After observing the first few days of camp, these thoughts about shaping the roster come to mind. Although they might seem drastic, I believe it makes the most sense to make the best Patriots roster available.

  1. Patriots trade G/T Jordan Devey to the San Diego Chargers for RB Danny Woodhead. With RB James White trying to step up in departed RB Shane Vereen’s shoes, the results so far have left some to be desired. Although he faces competition from veterans Dion Lewis, Travaris Cadet and Brandon Bolden, the importance of the “Passing Back” in this offense can’t be understated (see Vereen’s performance in the Super Bowl). Woodhead is 30 and carries a bigger contract (2.5 million), but he knows this offense and has Brady’s trust. He could be a stopgap for a year while White gets a little better and allows Bolden to return to his better suited Special Team role. Devey’s chances of making the team are slim to none with the additions of Tre Jackson and Shaq Mason. The Chargers need offensive line depth and Devy’s size (6’7, 315) can allow him to play both tackle and guard spots for San Diego. With Donald Brown, Brandon Oliver and Melvin Gordon all in the backfield with Phillip Rivers, Woodhead could be the odd man out. I see this as a win/win.
  2. Patriots sign G Evan Mathis. This is a no-brainer to many. He’s the best free agent available and gives the Pats a veteran leader in the place of Dan Connolly. With Ryan Wendell still hobbled and Jackson and Mason being rookies, Mathis can step in at either guard spot and dominate. Although he is 34, he was one of the best guards in football last year, if not the. Although he’s still in high demand from several teams, the appeal to play for a perennial playoff team might bring him up to the North East. If his asking price is too rich for the Pats, then they will pass. The depth inside beyond the rookies is Wendell, Josh Kline and Caylin Hauptmann. I’m not sure any of these guys can step up and be a steady performer if one or both of the rookies start to falter.
  3. Patriots trade DT Chris Jones to the Oakland Raiders for a 2016 6th round pick. With the free agent addition of DE/DT Jabaal Sheard and the 4 rookie Defensive Linemen added in the draft, the need for the pass rushing DT is pretty slim. With the loss of a 1st rounder due to Deflategate, it would be smart to unload players that have a slim chance of making the roster to needy teams. Even better unloading them to teams that will probably yield the Pats a higher pick in the said round. The lack of DL depth in Oakland is troublesome and Jones could provide a better interior pass rush than Stacy McGee or Dan Williams, the current two Defensive Tackle starters. Jones had 6 sacks in 2013 (3 in 2014) as a sub defensive tackle and can provide more depth.
  4. Patriots trade S Duron Harmon to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a conditional 2016 5th round pick and 2017 conditional 7th round pick (both picks go up a round if playing time is met). See the trend? Harmon has a lot of talent that hasn’t seen the field much in the past two seasons. He’s a zone safety that has a skill set more similar to Devin McCourty. With Jordan Richards and Tavon Wilson both playing better as of late, Harmon could take the spot for another position of need (or in Belichicks case, another linebacker or running back). With one year remaining on his deal, they might hold onto him for another year. But the fact that he isn’t an impending free agent could be reason to get more compensation. Getting this compensation for Harmon is a mutual win/win and Tampa has been a favorable trade partner in recent years (Mankins, Casillas). Harmon can compete for reps immediately at FS with Chris Conte (ugh) and Keith Tandy. This might be considered a high price for Harmon, but with his untapped potential and being around some of the best in New England, he could be a player Tampa can build around.
  5. Patriots sign DT/DE Red Bryant. Why add another defensive linemen? If you’re a Patriots fan, then you know that’s a redundant question. Bryant is massive (6’5, 325) and can play both defensive end and tackle. Although he isn’t much of a pass rusher (4.5 sacks in the past 7 seasons), he’s very stout against the run and could be an upgrade over former teammate Alan Branch. At 31, he’s not going to demand a long term deal and could be a nice veteran leader across the line that lost its biggest voice with the departure of Vince Wilfork.