Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have set their asking price for promising young quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Patriots want a first and fourth round draft pick in exchange for the 25-year-old. That is the same haul the Philadelphia Eagles received in exchange for Sam Bradford, when they traded him to the Vikings this offseason.
The price is significant for a quarterback that has made just two career NFL starts. Garoppolo was excellent in that small sample size, however, completing 71.2 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while filling in for the suspended Tom Brady.
With quality quarterback play at such a premium in the NFL, team’s have shown they are willing to fork out the money for QBs who have played well in just a handful of games. The most recent example is Brock Osweiler, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Houston Texans this offseason, after starting eight games with the Broncos last year. The move seems to have backfired, as Osweiler has looked like one of the worst quarterbacks in the league in 2016, and has been replaced on the depth chart by Tom Savage in recent weeks.
One also has to take into account the fact quarterbacks tend to look good in New England’s offense, no doubt in large part to the expert game planning of Belichick. Remember that Matt Cassell won 10 games for New England in 2008, only to look mediocre for most of the remainder of his career as a starter with Kansas City and Minnesota.
For a team like the 49ers, a move for Garoppolo, though tempting, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense assuming the Niners would have to give up picks in the upcoming draft. As we’ve seen this season, the 49ers need help at just about every position. Though quarterback is certainly one of those, they are far more than just a QB away from being a contender, and the prospect of getting rid of two valuable picks to possibly improve one position, doesn’t seem like the proper course of action.
Were the Niners able to land Garoppolo for a future first-round pick, however, the move would seem more enticing.
Garoppolo is still under contract with the Patriots for next season and is slated to earn $1.1 million.