New England Will Reportedly Trade Jimmy Garoppolo To The San Francisco 49ers

Tom Brady is 40 years old and, for most human beings that have ever played the quarterback position, that means the end of his career is likely approaching. However, the future Hall of Fame signal-caller is still going strong as arguably the best player in the NFL at the position and, given that the New England Patriots are the reigning Super Bowl champions, things are still going pretty well in Foxboro.

While Brady’s fantastic aging curve (or lack thereof) is a good thing for the Patriots, it also presents something of a quandary when it comes to backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. On Monday evening, word broke that it is no longer a quandary but a “problem” that has a solution with the Patriots sending the talented backup to the San Francisco 49ers to partner with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.

This is a bombshell deal in the midst of an NFL season, even as it makes a ton of sense for both sides. For New England, this allows the organization to receive value for an asset that was wholly blocked by Brady, even if there is now no one behind him in the event of an injury.

On the San Francisco side, this is an opportunity to snatch the franchise’s “quarterback of the future” and, considering the Niners were likely to tab a player at the position in the draft (or in free agency, as there were rumors that the team was going to make a strong push for Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins), the cost of a second-round selection is completely reasonable.

The full impact of this trade won’t be felt until the NFL world sees what Garoppolo can do in a full-time role but, for now, it is a potential pivot point for the Niners and an opportunity to stockpile another draft pick for the Patriots while banking on Brady’s invincibility to continue.