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The San Fransico 49ers' recent quarterback controversy is nothing new for Jimmy Garoppolo. At his previous stop with the New England Patriots, he was considered Tom Brady’s heir apparent. Entering the 2017 season, a controversy emerged due to Garoppolo being extension eligible. It was reported that head coach Bill Belichick wanted to transition to the younger quarterback.
Brady’s appeal to owner Robert Kraft threw a wrench in any succession plans. With his hands tied on the issue on October 31 2017, the Patriots traded third-year QB Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round pick.
The NFL can sometimes see history repeat itself. Nearly five years since the trade, Jimmy Garoppolo finds himself being usurped by a younger QB in Trey Lance. With Garoppolo seemingly on his way out, the deja vu was striking. Let's revisit the initial trade that brought Garoppolo to the 49ers.
The second round pick traded for Jimmy Garoppolo
In return, what exactly did the Patriots receive for Jimmy Garoppolo? In typical Patriots fashion, they traded the second-rounder into a series of picks that turned into multiple players over the next three drafts.
2018 Trades
The Patriots traded the 49ers' pick to the Detroit Lions for two more selections: a 2018 second-rounder (51) and a fourth-rounder (117). The Patriots then traded the Lions' second-rounder (51) to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-rounder in 2018 (105 overall) and a second-round selection in 2019 (56). The Bears' fourth-rounder (105) was traded for two more picks in the Cleveland Browns' 2018 fourth-round (114) and sixth-round (No. 178) selection.
Belichick wasn’t done working the phones yet. The Patriots got a 2019 third-round pick from the Lions for the Browns' 2018 fourth-round pick (114) and the Lions' original 2018 fourth-round pick (117). The Patriots traded that pick, as well as their own second-rounder (62 overall) in 2018 to move up to number 56 overall.
It's a very complicated package but you wouldn’t expect any less from coach Belichick.
2018 Selections
A 2018 second-round draft pick out of Florida (56), cornerback Duke Dawson is currently on the Carolina Panthers' practice squad. Dawson never caught on in New England and was traded along with a seventh-round pick to Denver in 2019 for a 2020 sixth-round pick.
Selected at 178th overall, linebacker Christian Sam never suited up for the team.
2019 Trades
New England traded Detroit's 2019 third-rounder (73) to Chicago in exchange for the Bears' 2019 third-round pick (87), a 2019 fifth-rounder (162) and a fourth-round pick in 2020. The Patriots then traded the Bears' second-round pick (56) and their own fourth-round pick (101) to the Los Angeles Rams for their second-round selection (45).
The Patriots then made another trade with the Rams in 2019, flipping their own third-round pick (97) and the Bears' fifth-round selection (162) for numbers 101 and 133 from the Rams.
2019 Selections
The Patriots traded up for Vanderbilt defensive back Joejuan Williams in the 2019 second round (45th overall). Despite still being on the roster, Williams has only one game in three years and serves more as a special teams player.
Running back Damien Harris (87) was a third-round pick from Alabama. Harris took some time to emerge but a strong 2021 saw him score 15 TDs over 15 starts. This solidified his place as one of the members of New England’s running back committee.
Offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste was a third-round pick (101) out of West Virginia. He has played only seven games and started two over the last three years.
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham is a fourth-round pick who spent his rookie season as the backup to Tom Brady. He failed to impress coach Belichick and wasn’t given much opportunity. On May 13, 2022, Stidham was traded (along with a seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft) to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2023 sixth-round pick (typical Belichick trade).
2020 Trades
2018 second-round pick Duke Dawson Jr. was traded (with a 2020 seventh-round pick) to the Denver Broncos for a 2020 sixth-round pick. In the 2020 draft, New England traded Chicago's 2020 fourth-rounder (125 overall) and their own fourth-round pick (129) to the New York Jets for a third-round pick (101). The Patriots drafted tight end Dalton Keene with the latter's selection and offensive tackle Justin Herron with the former.
Tight end Dalton Keene was a third-round pick (101) from Virginia Tech. He was inactive for the majority of his spell and was waived in the 2022 offseason. Keene is currently on the Eagles' practice squad.
Offensive tackle Justin Herron was a sixth-rounder (195) out of Wake Forest. He has emerged as a key offensive line rotation piece.
In Conclusion
This is horrible value in return for a starting quarterback in the NFL. Of the eight gained in exchange for Jimmy Garoppolo, only one starter was identified (Damien Harris), a solid rotation player (Justin Herron) and six clear misses.
The impact of such a horrible trade was only offset by coach Belichick’s brilliance. They still made the Super Bowl the year of the trade and won it all the very next season. The Patriots have only missed the playoffs once in the five years since the Garoppolo trade. The identification of Mac Jones may mean Belichick may never fully have to pay for his draft sins from the Jimmy Garoppolo package.
Jimmy Garoppolo's NFL career
Jimmy Garoppolo (when healthy) has been the leader of one of the best teams in the NFL. He took the 49ers to a Super Bowl and an NFC championship game in the two seasons he was able to start over eight games.
San Francisco couldn’t find a trade of equal value for Garoppolo. A capable starter in the quarterback position is hard to find, just ask the Carolina Panthers. The 49ers would rather keep one on hand than risk going into the season without one.
We'll see what the the future holds for Jimmy Garoppolo, be it with the 49ers or another franchise.
