Earlier this week, we touched on the idea that the New England Patriots might be able to retain both QB Tom Brady and QB Jimmy Garoppolo moving forward, even though Garoppolo is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2017 season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter joined Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller on the Stick to Football podcast to discuss Garoppolo’s future with the team. WEEI’s Ryan Hannable provided the transcript here.
Schefter noted that there was no team this offseason “that was going to be able to put together an offer that would have changed the Patriots’ thinking with trading Jimmy Garoppolo.” The Patriots believe that Garoppolo has more value to the team than any combination of draft picks.
“Now, again, going forward, how is that going to operate and how is that going to work — will the Patriots risk losing Jimmy Garoppolo?,” Schefter asks. “My own sense is no. They are going to figure out a way one way or another to keep him there — whether that means signing him to an extension, or franchising him, or making it work. We’ll see how that plays out. I don’t think they are going to lose him. I don’t think they want to lose him. I think they recognize how good they think he is — many of us don’t know that right now because we haven’t seen him play on a consistent basis. They have. They’ve watched him practice. They’ve seen him in practice. They know what he is and isn’t capable of. They are big believers in him.”
Schefter goes on to wonder what this offseason narrative would be if the Patriots hadn’t been able to come back in the Super Bowl, and whether that would have changed public opinions on whether the team should retain Garoppolo.
Instead, the Patriots are moving forward as if Father Time is the heavy favorite in the upcoming game against Brady, and are ensuring they are protected against a potential decline- whether by injury or by age- from their future Hall of Fame quarterback. If Brady somehow defeats Father Time in 2017, there will always be a rematch in 2018 and beyond.
Garoppolo’s value remains the same to the Patriots moving forward, so long as they believe he’s a franchise quarterback.
“Again, I think the Patriots recognize they have what they believe is a commodity and a successor in the wings and they have developed him, put a lot of time in him,” Schefter said about Garoppolo. “They don’t want to lose him. I don’t know how they work it out, but somehow some way something tells me they will find a way to get it done.”
Whether Garoppolo takes over in 2018 or in 2025, the Patriots want to have a franchise quarterback ready so the team can remain competitive for the foreseeable future. The only way to do that with Garoppolo is to find an agreeable extension for both parties.