The New England Patriots say they won’t be trading back-up QB Jimmy Garoppolo, but other coaches around the league have done a good job with free advertisement at the 2017 NFL Combine. Garoppolo started two games in 2016 and both opposing coaches had great things to say about his performance.
“He obviously won the game so I was very impressed with his poise,” Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said about the week 1 match-up. “[Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels] did a great job with his game plan, with him not holding it very long. I was very impressed with him.”
“I thought Jimmy was really special,” former Dolphins defensive coordinator and current Broncos head coach Vance Joseph added. “I was really surprised with how poised he was. Our front was pretty good last year. [Playing] against Jimmy, he was really poised. He was confident and he made good decisions. He also made some awesome throws in that football game. I was really shocked how good he was against us.”
Garoppolo is a poised player that made quick decisions that shocked and impressed the opposing coaching staffs. If that doesn’t increase the perception of Garoppolo, I don’t know what does.
The Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Chicago Bears are three clear targets for Garoppolo and the Browns and Bears also had their thoughts on Garoppolo.
Browns EVP Sashi Brown said it would be “inappropriate” to commend on a player on another team when asked about Cleveland’s interest in Garoppolo, but noted that he had a “good” relationship with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, saying, “I think they’re easy to work with and I would describe it as good and leave it at that.”
The Patriots worked multiple trades with the Cleveland Browns in 2016, including for linebackers Jamie Collins and Barkevious Mingo. Brown says that he’s not concerned about trading with the Patriots if Belichick is willing to give up on a player.
“I think you've seen in time that they'e acquired and let go of players for a variety of reasons,” Brown said. “You have to make your own individual evaluations and trust those.”
The Browns are extremely high on Garoppolo and many expect them to offer the 12th overall pick for Garoppolo, in addition to a midround selection.
Bears head coach John Fox has spent time with the Patriots during joint practices and has seen Garoppolo up close and in action. Fox said that Garoppolo “put pressure on your coaching staff because the bar is so high, the standard is so high.” Garoppolo is from Illinois and would likely enjoy playing for his hometown team.