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Rumors of a possible Jimmy Garoppolo return to the Patriots sprouted as soon as the 49ers traded up to the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft. New England was coming off a rough year with veteran signal caller Cam Newton and didn’t pick until No. 15 in the 2021 draft.
How close did the 49ers get to sending Garoppolo back to New England this year? ESPN’s Seth Wickersham wrote in his book, It’s Better To Be Feared, that discussions between the two clubs didn’t get past the preliminary stage:
There was an informal call between a high-level representative of the Patriots and a high-level 49ers official. What was Garoppolo’s price? New England wondered if a second-rounder would suffice – calling it even from 2017. But the 49ers wouldn’t take less than a first. For the moment, at least, San Francisco was counting on Garoppolo to be the quarterback for 2021. The Patriots reached the same conclusion as San Francisco – they liked the potential of the available first-round quarterbacks more than Garoppolo – and moved on.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked in his Wednesday press conference whether there was truth to a rumor New England offered a second-round pick, and whether the 49ers turned it down.
“No, none,” Shanahan said. “I’d also like to not keep answering questions about a book. I promise if that was the case, then I would have talked to their head coach.”
There’s an interesting difference between what was written in Wickersham’s book and the question Shanahan answered. He denied the Patriots ever offered a pick, which isn’t what Wickersham reported. Shanahan was never asked whether the informal discussions took place, which it’s impossible to believe they didn’t.
It’s hard to believe that report is inaccurate though considering all the moving parts during that time. The Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick may have wanted to explore the Garoppolo trade market, and if the 49ers had a chance to negotiate in official trade talks and recoup a first-round pick, it’s hard to believe they would’ve turned it down.
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