One Bears QB option vanishes if Patriots don’t trade Jimmy Garoppolo

If you want to place something in the marketplace, no better way to do it than to get it through Adam Schefter.

“This is nothing about smoke, this is nothing about leverage, this is nothing about them not getting the price they wanted”, the ESPN reporter told WEEI radio in an interview. Unless they have already spoken with every QB needy team, I can’t imagine they are actually prepared to shut this thing down before it even really gets started.

The Bills have until March 11 to decide whether they’ll exercise the option in Taylor’s contract, which would guarantee him about $31 million.

Garoppolo deserves a shot to be a No. 1 quarterback. Now.

Don’t completely rule out Garoppolo playing in a Bears uniform next season but it’s clear GM Ryan Pace, or any National Football League general manager, will be paying out the nose to land his new franchise quarterback. He’s bold and confident in his demeanor, speaking with a heavy tone.

That doesn’t mean I have to believe the Patriots won’t still try to trade Garoppolo. “I’m trying not to think about it or overthink it too much”.

While Schefter’s report indicates Garoppolo staying put, and that sentiment has been shared by others such as Peter King, many have wondered if this is simply negotiation tactics for the Patriots.

But these are the Patriots, so you never know. Garoppolo is young, has learned under Brady and Belichick, and would be wasted riding the bench as Brady plays into his 60s.

With a club like the Houston Texans being only a good starting quarterback away from competing for a Super Bowl, giving up a first and fourth round pick for Garoppolo would make sense.

Also, what can’t be ignored in all the Garoppolo trade chatter is Garoppolo’s contract.

“I’m just telling you that Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be on the Patriots in 2017”. After that, he can sign wherever he wants next offseason. The only way the Patriots can retain his services is to pay him more money, via franchise tag or short-term deal, than his resume truly exhibits. With Brady set to go another four to five years, the Patriots can’t afford to have Jimmy sitting on the sideline waiting for the day Brady retires. Not just for the Patriots, but also for Garoppolo.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com cited a source close to the situation as saying “everything is still on the table” regarding Garoppolo.