How Brock Osweiler May Have Screwed the New England Patriots

The New England Patriots probably delighted in making Brock Osweiler look like one of the worst quarterback investments in years.

Their defense held him to under 200 yards passing in the divisional playoff round. This despite him throwing 40 passes. It was sweet revenge for his big victory over them in Denver the year before. A loss that ended up costing them home field advantage. As it turns out though, their celebration could be short lived. Osweiler may end up getting the last laugh. Ironically because he’s been so bad.

It’s no secret that the Patriots could be in line to trade their backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this coming off-season. His contract will be up in 2018, so their last chance to get some value back in return before he leaves is almost at hand. Initially there was a belief they could get upwards of a 1st round pick and more for the 25-year old.

Turns out the buzz may be changing on that, and it’s because of Osweiler. Bucky Brooks of NFL.com wrote an in-depth piece about the state of quarterback play in the league. One of the subjects was whether top executives would prefer to build a team around a young quarterback from the draft or trade for one that already has experience. The answers he got were universal in one sense it least.

Osweiler has definitely tainted the waters.

Former GM:

"“They haven’t played enough for me to make a solid assessment on what they could be as starters. It reminds me a little of the Brock Osweiler deal, and I wouldn’t want to get burned.”"

AFC Personnel Director:

"“We’ve seen this movie before with Osweiler. I would pass on the vets and hang my hat with one of the young guys. If you miss on the rookie, you can move on after three years. With the vet, you’re giving up picks and paying big bucks, so it might cost you your job if you’re wrong.”"

A little later Brooks offered his own opinion on the subject. What he’d do if given the two options. Even he couldn’t avoid admitting that Osweiler had showcased the dangers of putting too much stock into somebody else’s backup.

"“Although I’ve been impressed by Garoppolo and McCarron in limited action, I’m reluctant to covet another team’s backup quarterback, especially after watching Osweiler and others fail to live up to expectations when they’ve been given big contracts and starting jobs.”"

Not only did he make things look even worse than usual, but he also continues to expose a hard truth about trading for backups from other teams. In the past 51 years, only one team has ever traded for the backup from another franchise and managed to win a Super Bowl. Just one. That was the Green Bay Packers when they sent a 1st round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Brett Favre. He is the only viable example holding this industry of drafting and then dealing quarterbacks alive.

Next: 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Jimmy Garoppolo Trade Impacts Early

Somebody will likely still end up trading for Jimmy Garoppolo come this spring. He showed enough talent during his brief appearances in 2016 to think he can be a starter. However, the Patriots may not be able to get the kings ransom in return they were hoping for. If they wanted to point the finger of blame at anybody for it, then Brock Osweiler is the man.