Jimmy Garoppolo Trade Stock Taking Center Stage
By Erik Lambert
The New England Patriots quarterback situation just got more interesting as the Tom Brady suspension battle was dealt a tough blow.
Since last year the quarterback has fought an NFL ruling to suspend him four games due to suspected involvement in the Deflategate scandal. After initially getting it overturned, an appeal by the league got it reinstated. An appeal by the Brady camp has since met with discouraging failure with the 2nd Circuit Court.
Federal appeal court rejected Tom Brady's appeal; Brady's four-game suspension stands.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 13, 2016
Expectations are that Brady will continue exhausting every alternative he has to prevent the suspension though most agree his odds have grown considerably long with this latest ruling.
Brady has 3 moves left. 1) Ask 2d cir for stay 2) Ask SCOTUS for stay, 3) file appeal to SCOTUS. All long shots. Legal case is mostly dead.
— Gabe Feldman (@SportsLawGuy) July 13, 2016
If this scenario plays out as expected, Brady will have no choice but to miss the first month of the 2016 season. That means the Patriots must prepare to try and win four games with backup Jimmy Garoppolo under center. Given the fact they invested a 2nd round pick in his two years ago, it stands to reason they feel confident in his ability but for the most part he’s an unknown.
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To date he has thrown just 31 passes and all were in largely meaningful games that had long since been decided. It’s impossible to know how he’ll function during a game from start to finish. Hopes are high that he’ll do fine, but one thing is clear. If Brady is out, other NFL teams are going to be watching Garoppolo very close this September.
After all, it doesn’t look like the Patriots have any plans to make a change in the near future. This means they might be inclined to trade their young backup for draft picks provided he performs well. Don’t forget they just used a 3rd round pick to bring in Jacoby Brissett this off-season. He could be the long-term option at backup, thus opening up the opportunity to deal Jimmy Garoppolo to a team that wants him.
Much of that depends on how he’ll perform when the regular season begins.