Depending on who you ask, the New England Patriots attempted to find a way to reunite with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this past offseason.
ESPN writer Seth Wickersham’s new book “It’s Better to Be Feared” claims that the Patriots offered the San Francisco 49ers a second-round pick for Garoppolo on Day 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft. San Francisco reportedly declined, asking for a first-rounder instead.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan denied that this happened, and now NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is doing the same. Rapoport tweeted this afternoon that not only did the Patriots not try to trade for Garoppolo, but they couldn’t have even if they wanted to because of salary cap constraints.
Circling back on #Patriots & #49ers talking about Jimmy G pre-draft. … NE not only didn’t attempt to trade for Garoppolo but could not have. Not close to enough cap room. Not possible. Once they signed Cam it was Newton & a young QB. What I said pre-draft https://t.co/zoEsk7nJP8 https://t.co/6vKrpitmIm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2021
New England re-signed Newton to a one-year deal on March 12 before drafting Mac Jones in the first round in April. The Patriots eventually released Newton at the end of training camp and went into the season with Jones as their No. 1 signal caller.
As for the salary cap issue, well, there’s always the possibility that the Pats could have shifted some things around to make Garoppolo’s contract work. Regardless, if such a deal was discussed, the odds of anyone confirming it on the record are quite slim.
For now, Garoppolo remains in San Francisco, and with the way he’s performed this season, the Patriots are probably better off he’s not with them.
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