One of the hottest players in the NFL heading into the offseason is New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who could be traded.
Many teams are desperate to find an answer at the quarterback position, and the Pats have done an extraordinary job of making Garoppolo look like a crown jewel. This trend continued when Julian Edelman made comments comparing his guy to the likes of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.
“I’m not a paid G.M. so I don’t know the whole value thing. As far as a guy that I could play with every single day, Jimmy Garoppolo, I mean, the guy’s a stud,” Edelman said on NFL Network. “He went out and played in the regular season and he played very well. He’s got that kind of gunslinger confidence. That Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers kind of confidence. He practices hard, he prepares hard. He’s a good kid, he’s young. I think he’s a good player.”
Are we the only ones who find it interesting Edelman didn’t compare Garoppolo to Tom Brady?
It’s nice that Edelman qualified his statement by first saying he’s not a “paid G.M.” That said, he has seen what Edelman is capable of doing on a regular basis and could be considered somewhat of an authority on this matter.
Still, one can only chuckle when seeing or hearing comments like the ones Edelman made about Garoppolo. Confidence is fantastic, but let’s not lump him in with a Hall of Famer and a future Hall of Famer just yet.
In his three-year career as Brady’s backup in New England, Garoppolo has started two games and appeared in 15 others, mostly in garbage time when the game was out of hand. He’s looked darn good in his appearances, completing 67 percent of his passes while averaging 7.3 yards per attempt and throwing five touchdowns with no interceptions.
It’s also worth pointing out that the Patriots have done an outstanding job calling the offense when Garoppolo has played, establishing the run while keeping him protected with short, quick passing calls more often than not. Still, he can make the big-boy throws and will almost certainly fetch a big price if he is traded (top landing spots here).
It’s natural that Edelman and his teammates want to elevate their guy. But let’s see what he can do as the lead guy before making comparisons to guys like Rogers and Favre.