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There is more steam to the potential Jimmy Garoppolo-New-England-Patriots reunion rumors. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora gave an update on the very fluid NFL quarterback carousel on Sunday morning, and he said, according to sources, Bill Belichick “would love to have a Jimmy G reunion.”
Here is a look at the clip:
The entire segment stems from the ongoing pursuit of the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson. According to La Canfora, after some twists and turns, there is room for a trade between the San Francisco 49ers and the Patriots.
Here’s how it breaks down in case you didn’t follow La Canfora in the video: The 49ers’ coach Kyle Shanahan reportedly loves the New York Jets’ Sam Darnold, and Gang Green has the most draft capital to procure Watson from the Texans. NY is also believed to be Watson’s preferred landing spot.
The Jets could move Darnold to gain another first-round pick, which would help their pursuit of Watson. Because Shanahan is reportedly fond of the former No. 3 overall pick, the 49ers might be the most likely suitor for Darnold, which would facilitate the Garoppolo-Patriots reunion as San Francisco would be looking to unload their oft-injured starter.
There are pros and cons to bringing back Garoppolo, and it’s unclear if the Patriots would also bring in a veteran to compete with him for the starting job. Let’s look at the good and bad that could come with bringing Garoppolo back to Foxborough.
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The Good With Garoppolo
The first thing that pops on the positive side when it comes to a potential reunion with Garoppolo is familiarity.
The Patriots’ coaching staff knows Garoppolo perhaps as well as anyone. They drafted him in the second round back in 2014, and he was poised to be Tom Brady’s successor. However, Brady has proven to be like the Energizer Bunny, and his unwillingness to step aside coupled with his continued on-field excellence prolonged his stay beyond what Belichick and Co. originally projected.
Because of that, Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers in 2017.
Throughout his career, Garoppolo has proven to be a mostly accurate passer completing 67.5% of his throws with a total of 51 TD passes and 26 INTs. That’s far from spectacular and more along the lines of a game manager. Is that the kind of quarterback Belichick is more comfortable with at the helm?
Perhaps, but if you’re looking for a bottom line, Garoppolo wins. He has a career QB record of 24-8.
The Bad With Garoppolo
The biggest negative on Garoppolo, beyond his overall less-than-spectacular statlines, is his issues with durability. Since landing with the 49ers, Garoppolo has missed a whopping 33 games.
He missed 10 games last season with a severe high-ankle sprain as the 49ers were ravaged with injuries and positive COVID-19 results. Garoppolo has only played in all 16 games once in his career, and that was in 2019. That’s the year the 49ers were 13-3 and made it to the Super Bowl.
Still, the best ability is availability, and too often Garoppolo has been on the shelf. Imagine the Patriots parting ways with draft assets only to watch Garoppolo miss a chunk of the season, which would likely lead to more Jarrett Stidham starts under center.
That can’t be the reality any Patriots fan hopes to see in 2021.
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