While the New England Patriots are not playing in Wild Card Weekend, the potential rift between owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady is making them a story. The Pats are so much of a story, in fact, that Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas offered his take on the situation.
A Twitter follower asked Thomas why he thought Garoppolo was sent to the San Francisco 49ers. Thomas gave a detailed take.
I believe the following;
1) Bill loved Jimmy, wanted him to succeed 2) Bill loves Kyle, thinks he’ll succeed. 3) Bill thought that if he sent @JimmyG_10 somewhere with instability, he would sign with an Afc east team in 2018 and beat the Pats 2x every year for the next 10+ yrs https://t.co/oZaPuhmGNz— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
So he put all this together (and the pressure 2 get rid of Jimmy from his owner) and traded him to the Niners. Now, remaining argument is; was Bill too hasty in the process that he didn’t get fair value for Jimmy. I’d argue he was, due to trade deadline, middle of the season, etc
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 7, 2018
Some points are worth considering.
One is that Kraft has denied the report that he forced the Garoppolo trade. Whether you believe that or think it’s just a PR statement is up to you. But it is worth noting.
Two is that prior to the trade, the 49ers weren’t exactly a model of stability. Belichick may love Kyle Shanahan, but the facts at the time were hard to ignore. Shanahan was San Francisco’s fourth coach in four seasons. Furthermore, the team was 0-8 at the time of the trade. Even if Shanahan’s job was safe at the time of the trade (which it was), calling the 49ers stable is a bit of revisionist history.
The rest of Thomas’ point is quite interesting and worth considering.