The Patriots Will Listen to Offers for Backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo; Will the Browns Be Calling?

The New England Patriots are heading back to the Super Bowl for the first time in two seasons, but that doesn’t mean they are not thinking about the future and their offseason for that matter.

One player the Pats will have to decide on is backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who will enter the final year of his deal when the 2017 season rolls around.

Garoppolo is a quarterback who could be in high demand on the trade market, as there’s not many big name free agent QB’s that are out there, and some already feel that the draft class for quarterbacks is not as high as it usually is, even down from 2016 when Jared Goff and Carson Wentz were the first two QB’s picked.

So the question is, will the Cleveland Browns be one of those teams in the mix for Garoppolo and what would it cost them for his services if the Pats want to deal him?

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport stated that the Pats will for sure listen to offers for Garoppolo, but don’t expect them to give him up cheap, which could complicate matters for the Browns.

“From what I am being told there are several complicating factors: First of all, the price tag, expected to be at least a first-round pick, just based off the quarterback market,” Rapoport said on NFL GameDay.

“Will anyone give them that? Second of all, are the Patriots really comfortable going forward with Jacoby Brissett as their backup quarterback in case Tom Brady gets hurt? That might be the biggest question of all.”

The Browns might have to compete with a couple other teams for Garoppolo, including the Cardinals, Jets, Bills, Broncos, and 49ers, all teams that have question marks at the quarterback position.

With two first-round picks to play with, could the Browns give up their second first-round pick (12th pick) for the Pats QB?

If they do so, they had better make sure that they do their homework and determine that Garoppolo is the real deal. He threw for four touchdowns, no picks, and 496 yards in the first two games replacing a suspended Brady in two wins to start the year.

Getting a franchise quarterback is not easy these days, and deciding on giving up a first-round pick for one might be the choice the Browns have to make if they want Garoppolo in the fold in 2017 and beyond.