The Patriots recently signed quarterback Cam Newton to a cheap one-year contract. What could this move mean for the 49ers?
At first, it seems like nothing. But it could mean that the Patriots have kept the door open to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021.
It’s hard to know what’s really going on with the Patriots, but ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reported that Bill Belichick never wanted to trade Garoppolo with the 49ers in the first place, and that he was “furious” and “demoralized” when ownership changed it anyway.
And the rumor I heard this offseason is that the Patriots offered the 49ers a first-round pick for Garoppolo, and the 49ers turned them down. Which seems plausible, when you consider how long the Patriots took to sign Newton. They certainly were in no rush to catch him. It looks like an insurance policy.
This is how I read the Patriots:
Belichick probably wants to demonstrate that he can develop another Super Bowl-winning quarterback, he probably wants to demonstrate that his legacy is not just a product of Tom Brady.
And Belichick didn’t develop Newton: He developed Jarrett Stidham, the Patriots’ current starter who threw just four passes in his career, and Garoppolo.
The Patriots will likely give Stidham the first shot at the starting quarterback role next season. If it fails, they will likely play it and play Newton, then they will make another attempt to trade for Garoppolo in 2021, when they will have approximately $ 90 million in capitalization space.
Garoppolo is in an expensive year-to-year agreement with the 49ers. Next year, the 49ers are likely to extend or trade their deal, one or the other. The current agreement is too expensive. And if they trade it, the Patriots will likely be the trading partner.
And the 49ers could replace him with Aaron Rodgers, who no longer seems particularly welcome in Green Bay, and will have zero guaranteed money on his contract after 2020. Or the 49ers could use the New England pick they receive and trade for one of the best. Rookie quarterbacks in next year’s draft.
Regardless of what the 49ers decide to do about Garoppolo, it seems the Patriots will patiently wait for them to make up their minds.
Newton does not change anything.