It turns out Jimmy Garoppolo’s days with the New England Patriots could be numbered after all.
Just a day after ESPN’s Adam Schefter adamantly reported Garoppolo “is not going to be traded” by the Pats, Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot painted a very different picture Thursday, citing a league source. In fact, it appears a trade still is an option for New England, although with one major stipulation.
Substantial trade talks apparently already have started, as the source told Cabot there is a “preliminary offer” from one team, and a second team is expected to make a bid for Garoppolo, too. A first-round pick is among the assets the Patriots are looking for in such a trade, according to Cabot.
The Cleveland Browns are among the teams in need of a quarterback with potential assets to sway a deal for Garoppolo — they have the Nos. 1 and 12 overall picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. Cabot also reported Thursday that the Browns are considering drafting Mitch Trubisky, so they appear to be weighing multiple options. If they don’t land Garoppolo in a trade, Cabot also mentioned Tyrod Taylor and AJ McCarron as potential fallback plans, if either becomes available.
The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears round out the top three picks, respectively, and both have been linked to Garoppolo in trade rumors.
All they need now is the “right offer.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images