Patriots have Jimmy Garoppolo atop their QB wish list?

The New England Patriots are facing an uncertain quarterback situation for the second consecutive offseason, but they reportedly have a Plan A in place. The question is whether or not they will be able to execute it.

According to Greg A. Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, the ideal scenario for the Patriots this offseason would be to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo. The San Francisco 49ers would have to acquire another quarterback before they’d consider trading Garoppolo, and they may be in the process of trying to do that.

The Niners have reportedly spoken with the Carolina Panthers about a potential trade for Teddy Bridgewater. As Bedard notes, Bridgewater is due to make $37 million in base salary over the next two seasons. The 49ers may feel they can get him for a reasonable price due to his contract and then flip Garoppolo for a high draft pick.

That is where the Patriots could come in. Bedard is confident that acquiring Garoppolo is still “far away their play.” They would likely be willing to give up a second-round pick to bring him back. If Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch feel Bridgewater is an upgrade over Garoppolo or, at the very least, a lateral move, they may be inspired to make a deal.

Lynch recently threw public support behind Garoppolo, but we know how quickly things can change. A recent report claimed the 49ers would only consider trading Garoppolo for one specific quarterback, but the Bridgewater rumors may be a sign that the situation is not that simple.