The Patriots Amazingly Turned Jimmy Garoppolo Into Half Of Their 2019 Draft Class
With training camp right around the corner it is a good time to reflect the rewards the Patriots have received courtesy of the Jimmy Garoppolo trade. With a sixth ring in hand along with 2 AFC Championship titles since that fateful day, it is hard to argue against the trade. Throw in the fact that we have yet to see the majority of pieces we received thanks to some shrewd maneuvering by Belichick, and the best may be yet to come. Anytime you can secure a championship the reward has already been paid, but there are numerous additions that Patriots fans should be aware of for the upcoming season.
Nobody can move chips around quite like Bill Belichick, but his amazing haul from the Jimmy Garoppolo trade may help set the foundation for the Patriots future. The Patriots were widely criticized for moving Jimmy G in a trade during the middle of the 2017 season. Had the Patriots held on to Garoppolo , they would have needed to trade Tom Brady, or would have paid Jimmy so muc,h it would have likely cost them a Super Bowl championship.
The Patriots’ moves after the Garoppolo trade have been extraordinary:
1. Patriots traded Garoppolo to Niners for 2018 No. 43 pick
2. Patriots trade No. 43 to Detroit Lions for 2018 No. 51 and No. 117 picks
3. Patriots trade No. 51 to Chicago Bears for 2018 No. 105 pick and 2019 No. 56 pick
3. Patriots trade No. 105 to Cleveland Browns for 2018 No. 114 and No. 178 picks
4. Patriots trade No. 114 to Lions for 2019 No. 73 pick
5. Patriots draft LB Christian Sam with 2018 No. 178 pick
6. Patriots trade 2018 No. 62 (own pick) and No. 117 for No. 56 pick, draft CB Duke Dawson
7. Patriots trade 2019 No. 73 to Bears for No. 87, No. 162 and 2020 fourth-rounder
8. Patriots trade 2019 No. 56 and No. 101 (own pick) to the Los Angeles Rams for No. 45 pick, draft CB Joejuan Williams
9. Patriots draft RB Damien Harris with 2019 No. 87 pick
10. Patriots trade 2019 No. 97 (own pick) and No. 162 to Rams for No. 101 and No. 133, draft OT Yodny Cajuste and QB Jarrett Stidham
So basically Belichick flipped Garoppolo who the Patriots could no longer afford into the following players.
QB Jarrett Stidham
CB Joejuan Williams
RB Damien Harris
T Yodny Cajuste
TE Dalton Keene
That is a pretty impressive haul of players that will be expected to step up big time in the 2020 season. As expected a few of the drafted players didn’t make it but this could be a key core group, especially if Stidham lands the starting job. It is rumored that the Patriots coaching staff likes Stidham more than they like Garoppolo. If he pans out this could go down as another epic Belichick move. They should all be key contributors in the near future, but they also will not cost the team a ton of cap space. This a clear case of Belichick playing chess while the rest of the league plays checkers.