The New England Patriots are coming off a very disappointing 2020 campaign.
On the heels of Tom Brady departing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl, and firmly establishing himself as the greatest football player of all time, New England is clearly on the clock. A season like the last one simply can’t happen.
One quick way the organization can begin to fix itself is by finding a capable starting quarterback. Cam Newton gave it a valiant effort in 2020, but clearly he no longer possesses the physical prowess necessary to led a team.
Newton, for his part, sees the writing on the wall.
So if not him as New England’s starting quarterback next year, then who?
According to Greg A. Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, the Patriots desperately want a reunion with current San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.
The big roadblock currently standing in the way of a Garoppolo-Bill Belichick reunion isn’t the Niners wanting to hold on to him. The organization has been very lukewarm on his future. Rather, it’s the fact that they need his replacement before they can move on from him.
Joe Person of The Athletic reported a couple of days ago that “San Francisco is among the teams that have called Carolina to gauge the Panthers’ interest in potentially trading [Teddy] Bridgewater,” but it remains unclear how viable a deal actually is.
Bridgewater isn’t the only passer San Francisco is said to be interested in, though. There are two other guys the front office would love to get its hands on, should a deal become doable.
If the Niners can’t find a replacement for Garoppolo, then obviously they’ll be less inclined to move him to the Patriots.
For what it’s worth New England does have a Plan B in place in the event Garoppolo proves unattainable. That said, the fact that they so deeply want Garoppolo is pretty telling. He did help lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl just two seasons ago, but also, he’s not exactly a top-tier quarterback.
Will the Patriots ultimately get their man this offseason? Time will tell.
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