New England Patriots rumors: Jimmy Garoppolo price is steep

The New England Patriots reportedly want two first round picks in a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo. 

Jimmy Garoppolo is a quarterback numerous teams are interested in. After doing very well replacing Tom Brady while he was suspended, the backup quarterback is naturally drawing some interest from NFL teams. However, the Patriots hold all the leverage in this situation and they’re not afraid to use it. To get Garoppolo, it will reportedly take two first round picks.

Of course, this is likely just Bill Belichick driving up the price. He has no reason to want to trade Garoppolo unless he gets blown away. Belichick has a very cheap and competent backup quarterback, which is harder to find in the NFL than a lot of people think. But two first round picks for Garoppolo is simply outlandish. One could argue even one first round pick for him is crazy.

Garoppolo has thrown a mere 90 passes in his NFL career. Remember, Matt Cassel only got the Patriots a second round pick and he had a full season of experience under his belt when the Kansas City Chiefs traded for him. Even considering the lack of quarterback talent in the 2017 NFL Draft, a first round pick is an overpayment. Why not just draft DeShaun Watson, who you can develop and is far more athletic?

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But as they say, all it takes is one team to be interested. One team that could feasibly give the Patriots a first rounder for him is the Cleveland Browns. With two first round picks, they could trade the 12th overall pick to New England for Garoppolo. One can eliminate the San Francisco 49ers from the running since they appear to be honing in on Kirk Cousins. The Patriots are experts at trading people for a maximum price, so it should be interesting to see where Garoppolo ends up.