The headline above is not to mislead you into thinking that the Patriots got screwed, though. This trade was really a win-win for both organizations. New England feels like they can ride it out for a few more years with Tom Brady playing at a high level, and they were going to have to pay Garoppolo an elite starter’s salary for continuing to be a backup after this season.
Maybe Brady and Belichick retire together in a couple years, so why not go all in right now if in 3 years it’s not going to matter to you who the next starting quarterback is.
San Francisco finds themselves at the bottom of the NFL standings once again, so that second-round pick will be one of the first picks off the board on Day 2 of the draft…a coveted spot for NFL teams, and one that will give New England the flexibility to move up or down in the draft if they so choose.
They also send “Jimmy G” clear across the country and into the NFC, so he can’t haunt their future playoff hopes.