The Jimmy Garoppolo trade speculation and debate have been kicked into overdrive ever since the San Francisco 49ers made a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins to move up from the No. 12 pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft to the No. 3 overall selection.
Last week's trade called into question Garoppolo's future as the 49ers' franchise quarterback. If the 49ers are looking to take one of the top QB prospects with the No. 3 pick, should they trade Garoppolo and capitalize on his value?
And what would the 49ers be looking to acquire in a potential trade involving Garoppolo? Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer was asked in his recent mailbag.
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Here's his answer:
"I was told that, yes, it’d take a first-round pick for the Niners to listen at this point, which of course would be nice for San Francisco to have after it yielded its firsts in 2022 and ’23 to jump from No. 12 to 3," Breer wrote. "That, of course, is subject to change. Maybe a veteran stopgap they see as comparable to Garoppolo could come along, and they’d then be motivated to move him (I’m not sure who that would be).
"Maybe the rookie will arrive and blow everyone away over the summer, and the Niners will want to play him. As it stands right now? I don’t think the Niners feel any sort of urgency to move Garoppolo, which makes his market value completely irrelevant in comparison to the Niners’ price."
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A first-round pick is a steep price for the New England Patriots or any other team to pay for Garoppolo, even though he's a talented player and would be an upgrade over both Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham -- the two players atop the Pats' quarterback depth chart right now.
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The issue with Garoppolo is that playing a full season has been difficult for him due to injuries. He's played just 25 of a possible 48 regular season games in his three full campaigns as the Niners' starting QB.
The Patriots haven't drafted too well over the last three or four years, so it's not like their roster is well-stocked with premium young talent. Therefore, they aren't in a position to be sacrificing a first-round pick for a player who's had a tough time staying healthy his entire career.
If the 49ers are determined to get a first-round pick (and maybe more) for Garoppolo, it's probably best for the Patriots to find a different solution at QB.