Tom Brady is showing no signs of slowing down. Unlikely his counterpart Peyton Manning, Brady looks as young as ever and the New England Patriots are certainly benefitting from it. The Patriots have no plans of moving past Brady in the near future which brings up the question of Jimmy Garoppolo. With the quarterback market weak in 2016 and several teams needing an upgrade, could the Patriots make the backup available like they once did with Ryan Mallett?
To be clear, the Patriots have not said they plan on trading Garoppolo as he remains the backup to Brady. However, Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com believes it could be a possibility this offseason. Right now several teams are looking for quarterback help whether it is in a starting role or future starting role. Sam Bradford is the high-priced option. Johnny Manziel and Robert Griffin III are the headaches. The NFL Draft is guarantee. That leaves players like Garoppolo who has NFL experience under their belt to be potential targets and the Patriots could capitalize.
Duffy writes the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans are all options for Garoppolo should he become available, and he should. In his NFL career, the quarterback is 61 and 80 with 554 yards passing and two touchdowns. He is signed through the 2017 season like Brady is. When he was drafted, Garoppolo was expected to be the future of the franchise, but with Brady healthy should the Patriots try and move him now while his stock is high?
"I think Jimmy has made great strides for us this season," Belichick said, via NESN.com. "The reps that he's gotten on the field in preseason games and in practice, I think he's shown a lot of development -- better understanding, quicker recognition and reading of the defenses, more awareness of what's happening on the defensive side of the ball, better communication, better understanding of the offense, better understanding of the defense -- really everything"
The Patriots are looking at a few different roster moves this offseason. According to the Boston Herald, either Danny Amendola or Brandon LaFell could be released as the team looks to gain a little salary cap space. There is also the chance that LeGarrette Blount does not return in free agency leaving a big hole in the run game. The Patriots will get Dion Lewis back in action, but they need a power rusher on the roster if Blount is not an option. New England does not need many upgrades this year, but that does not mean they will be quiet come the offseason.