8. Jimmy Garoppolo, quarterback, New England Patriots
There’s definitely an interesting dynamic to look at here. Over the course of the past several months, New England has dealt away young defenders Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins for future assets. It’s an MO that has defined this organization for some time now. It’s also what has enabled the Patriots to be consistent winners. Despite dealing away these two talented youngsters, the Patriots were able to hoist their fifth Lombardi of the Tom Brady era earlier in February.
With Brady himself seemingly committed to playing another three-to-five years, there’s really no reason for the defending champs to keep Garoppolo. That’s only magnified by what promises to be a strong market for his services — a market that could bring back a first-round pick in return.
Cleveland has already been bandied about as a possibility. And that makes a ton of sense. As mentioned above, the Browns and Patriots have worked on multiple trades in the past. This would also enable Cleveland to avoid going quarterback with the first overall pick.
Replacing Tom Brady for the first two games of the season prior to suffering an injury, this former second-round pick completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 502 yards with four touchdowns and zero picks. He’s proven himself starter-ready and should draw a ton of interest in free agency. If that were to happen, New England would likely move on from him in short order, ultimately relying on 2016 mid-round pick Jacoby Brissett to back Brady up. It just makes too much sense.