NFL News: Patriots Trade Jimmy Garoppolo To 49ers For Draft Pick
After more than a year of trade rumors involving Jimmy Garoppolo, the Patriots are finally dealing the fourth-year quarterback. The Patriots are trading Garoppolo to the 49ers in exchange for a second-round draft pick in a move first reported by ESPN. The two teams reportedly began trade talks Monday morning and agreed to the deal Monday night.
Garoppolo, who started a pair of games in 2016 while Tom Brady was serving a four-game suspension, goes from the defending Super Bowl champions who are 6-2 this season to a winless 49ers team that hasn't had a winning season since 2013.
The 49ers were expected to go after Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins next year to reunite him with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Washington's offensive coordinator for Cousins' first two NFL seasons.
The 49ers play host to the Cardinals and Giants over the next two Sundays before entering their bye week. Garoppolo is not expected to play Sunday, but should be fully integrated into the system following the bye to see if he is San Francisco's future franchise quarterback.
Journeyman Brian Hoyer was the 49ers starter to begin the season, but has since given way to rookie C.J. Beathard, who has thrown for 647 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions this season. Garoppolo, who was once considered the heir apparent to Brady, has thrown for 690 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions in 17 career games with those two starts.
Brady told Westwood One Radio Monday night he considers Garoppolo a "great friend" and wishes him "nothing but the very best."
"He's put in all the effort," Brady said. "I've watched him for three and a half years and really enjoyed working with him and hopefully he goes on and does a great job."
Hoyer, who started the first six games, is expected to be released to make room for Garoppolo on the roster. The trade indicates the Patriots have faith in the 40-year-old Brady to play well into his 40s. It also leaves Brady as the only quarterback currently on the Patriots roster. Hoyer was with the Patriots from 2009-11 and is expected to sign with the Patriots this week.
"You look at the rosters of the other 31 teams in the league, and based on what you know, other information that you gather, the inactive list every week and the play time, you can start to see which players have a diminished role in another team's system, for whatever those reasons are," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Monday of potential trades. "And, a lot of times if a team has a need in an area and they match that up with another team who's not making a player active that the team with the depth issue feels like that player could give them depth, well then that's a potential conversation."