Backing up a legend like Tom Brady, it’s easy to imagine Jimmy Garoppolo getting restless.
On Adam Schefter’s “Know them from Adam” Podcast, Garoppolo was asked if he gets impatient backing Brady up. The New England Patriots backup confirmed that on occasion, it does happen.
“There’s times,” he said, H/T Ryan Hannable of WEEI. “Obviously the kickoff happens and you are ready to roll. The juices get flowing again. You get the adrenaline, the butterflies. It’s football, you have to love the atmosphere.”
It’s only natural.
Brady is arguably the best quarterback in NFL history, and his significance to the Patriots franchise is difficult to be properly measured. But Garoppolo has seen some NFL action and has done quite well. It stands to reason that at times, he’d be eager to get into the game and out of Brady’s shadow.
Garoppolo was also asked what his plans were for the future. His name has been bandied about in multiple trade rumors this offseason. But even if he stays in New England, he’ll be a free agent following the 2017 season. What then?
“That is a good question,” Garoppolo said on the Podcast. “Between now and then there are so many different thing that can happen, that might not happen. It’s tough to say. We all play the game. We all want to be out there on the field and get an opportunity to play. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there is probably the best way to put it. We’re competitors at the end of the day. We want to be out there, I want to be out there competing and playing with my teammates.”
The list of great quarterbacks in the NFL is not a long one. Garoppolo has played only sparingly, but has been effective when on the field.
Whether it comes via a trade this year or free agency next, Garoppolo will be a hot commodity.