Just a day after getting embarrassed by the Dallas Cowboys at home, the 49ers made a blockbuster trade with the New England Patriots, acquiring quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The move was a win-win for the 49ers, who gave up a second round pick to get Garoppolo. While many thought, myself included, that the 49ers were all but certain to land Kirk Cousins in the offseason, the move for JimmyG always ranked as a solid alternative in the event Cousins wasn’t available.
The other of course, was the upcoming NFL Draft, which could include as many as three top notch quaterbacks coming out. Instead, the 49ers pulled the trigger on a trade that someday could be looked back upon, as the move that set the franchise right for the next 10 seasons.
Garoppolo, with roughly two full regular season games of work to his credit, has one of the quickest releases in the league, and sat for three and a half seasons behind Tom Brady, learning from the GOAT himself.
The question around the Patriots and the really the league itself, was not if, but when would Jimmy get a chance to play, and what seemed more unrealistic to be quiet honestly, with whom?
I never imagined the Patriots trading away Garoppolo, especially with Brady just turning 40-years old, and let alone in the middle of a season. It’s a major risk on their part because at this point, any injury to Brady means the Patriots are without JimmyG’s services. In his game and a half played last season, Garoppolo led the Patriots to a tough, road opening win in primetime against Arizona, followed by a half where he shredded the Miami Dolphins.
But not anymore, the trade ended all that and left the Patriots with Brian Hoyer, the 49ers starting quarterback at the beginning of the season, to backup Brady now.
For Garoppolo, he finally gets his chance to play, and play a lot for a franchise that seems to be teetering between the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams side of the fence.
With Kyle Shanahan’s offense, a top three to five draft pick, and close to $100 million in salary cap space in 2018, the fortunes of the 49ers could change very quickly for San Francisco.
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