Patriots trade Jimmy Garoppolo to the Texans for first-round pick
If the Houston Texans are seriously contemplating using their first-round pick on Pat Mahomes, the team would be better off offering up something of substance to see if they can pry Garoppolo away from the Patriots. While a first-round pick itself won’t be enough, adding some change to the mix will make the Pats think twice about having their backup on the untouchable list.
From Houston’s standpoint, this makes even more sense when we take into account Bill O’Brien’s presence on the sidelines in Houston and how he has patterned his offense to meet what the Pats do. Remember, O’Brien coached with Bill Belichick from 2007-11, finishing up his tenure as New England’s offensive coordinator in 2011 before taking the Penn State job.
The Texans already admitted they made a mistake by signing Brock Osweiler last offseason. Do they really want to exhaust a first-round pick on a potential project quarterback? That’s a question the team will be asking itself heading into the draft.
When it comes to New England, this is rather simple. Sure the team would love to keep Garoppolo around as insurance for Tom Brady, but at what cost?
The former second-round pick is slated to become a free agent after this upcoming season, at which point New England would be forced to place the franchise tag on him in order to avoid the young quarterback hitting the open market. Is Belichick and Co. really willing to do that? Why not grab a first-round pick and some change for the talented backup? It just makes too much sense.