Forty-year-old Tom Brady appears to be the New England Patriots’ quarterback for the foreseeable future with his back-up, Jimmy Garoppolo, set to be traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
According to ESPN, Garoppolo will join the 49ers in exchange for a second-round pick in next year’s draft. The 49ers are 0-8 this season and have not had a reliable quarterback since Colin Kaepernick’s best years a few seasons ago.
Garoppolo had been mooted as a possible replacement for Brady once the future Hall of Famer retires. But with Brady starting the season with few signs that age is affecting him, Garoppolo’s future lies on the West Coast.
At his Tuesday press conference, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he would have preferred to keep Garoppolo but that, as the quarterback approaches 26, he needed to move on as a starter.
“It’s definitely not something we wanted to walk away from,” Belichick said. “I felt like we rode it out as long as we could. Over a period of time, we explored every option possible to try to sustain it. But at this point, felt like we had to make a decision. It’s a very complex situation on multiple levels. This is really the last window that we had [before Tuesday’s trade deadline], and we did what we felt was best for the team.”
The 49ers had been linked with Washington’s Kirk Cousins but Garoppolo has attracted interest from a number of teams after he stepped in for the Patriots during Brady’s four-game Deflategate suspension last season. In Brady’s absence he threw four touchdowns and no interceptions but Garoppolo is still largely unproven, has thrown just 94 passes in his entire NFL career, and will have a much weaker supporting cast in San Francisco compared to New England.
“We are thrilled for Jimmy to join the 49ers family,” the 49ers general manager John Lynch said in a statement. “Jimmy is a player we have researched extensively since Kyle and I joined the 49ers. I am extremely pleased this came together today and we all think it is a big win for our organization.
Belichick also paid tribute to Garopollo’s contribution to the Patriots. “His career is moving forward. He’s a talented individual,” he said. “He was a great person to coach. I met with him weekly. But as his career moves forward, we have to look at our team, both this year and beyond.”
Garoppolo’s departure leaves the Patriots with no back-up for Brady on the roster, and they will seek to find a No2 before Tuesday’s trade deadline. The 49ers are understood to have cut veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer – another former Patriot – after making the move for Garoppolo. Hoyer’s familiarity with the system in New England is likely to result in him returning to back up Brady.
Other significant trades from Tuesday: Running back Jay Ajayi moved from Miami Dolphins to Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth-round pick; Houston Texans’ Pro Bowl tackle Duane Brown will move to the Seattle Seahawks, who are looking to offer more protection for Russell Wilson, in exchange for draft picks and cornerback Jeremy Lane; wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin left the Carolina Panthers for the Buffalo Bills in return for draft picks.
-- Elsewhere, a US federal judge cleared the way for the NFL to enforce a six-game suspension of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott over domestic violence allegations.
District judge Katherine Polk Failla denied the request for a preliminary injunction from players’ union attorneys working for Elliott. Failla put the ruling on hold for 24 hours to give Elliott’s legal team time to appeal, a likely move.
It’s the second time a federal ruling has overturned a reprieve that kept Elliott on the field. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court threw out a Texas court’s injunction and ordered the dismissal of Elliott’s lawsuit there.
The NFL briefly enforced commissioner Roger Goodell’s suspension before a judge sitting in for Failla in the Southern District of New York issued a temporary restraining order that blocked the punishment for the second time. If the suspension holds this time, Elliott will be out starting Sunday at home against Kansas City. He will be eligible to return on 17 December at Oakland. AP
