This time of year, the gap between the end of the season and the beginning of free agency, used to be a very dark time for Cleveland fans. The Browns were forever lost in the cycle of trying to find the franchise messiah at quarterback.
The yearly trip on the hamster wheel of despair often led to some crazy ideas. One of those popped up four years ago today, when a Cleveland media outlet laid out the master plan of trading the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft to the Patriots for backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Browns never bit on the suggestion, thankfully. Cleveland held tight to the pick and selected Myles Garrett. That has worked out very well for the Browns.
As for Garoppolo? One of the big flags against trading for him was his inability to stay healthy. And that’s been a major issue for Garoppolo with the 49ers, where he wound up being traded on Halloween of 2017. He has played in just 25 of a possible 48 games in the last three seasons since signing a five-year, $137.5 million contract extension.
Of course, Garoppolo did lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season, the only year since being drafted in 2014 where he’s played more than six games. He thrived, when healthy, in the Kyle Shanahan rhythm-based passing offense and riding a dominant defense to the edge of glory.
But his contract is a major albatross for the 49ers. It helped dictate the team dumping All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner last offseason. And Garoppolo’s durability issues have had the 49ers linked in several QB trades and free agents this offseason already.
Four years later, I’ll happily take Myles Garrett and Baker Mayfield over Garoppolo. Sometimes the best trades are the media-driven ones the team ignores…
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