Report: Patriots Trade QB Jimmy Garoppolo to 49ers for Second-Round Pick
The Patriots have traded quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick, reports ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Garoppolo has been the subject of numerous trade rumors since he played well while filling in for Tom Brady during Brady's suspension last season. Garoppolo, 25, was taken by New England in the second round of the 2014 draft and has served as Brady's backup ever since.
There was some belief that the Patriots were unwilling to trade Garoppolo because the franchise saw him as Brady's successor, though Brady, 40, has said multiple times that he intends to play multiple more years.
For his career, Garoppolo is 63 of 94 for 690 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He will be an unrestricted free-agent after this season.
The 49ers are 0-8 and have been plagued by subpar quarterback play. Brian Hoyer started San Francisco's first five games this season before he was replaced by rookie C.J. Beathard midway through the 49ers' loss to the Redskins in Week 6.
The two quarterbacks have thrown for a combined six touchdowns and seven interceptions, and San Francisco average of 211.2 passing yards per game is 22nd in the NFL.
The 49ers will release Hoyer after the trade is completed, Schefter reports.
Garoppolo is not expected to start when the 49ers when they host the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 5.
The Patriots traded Jacoby Brissett, who was the third-string quarterback behind Brady and Garoppolo, to the Colts for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett in early September.
If the trade does indeed go through, Brady will be the only quarterback currently on the Patriots' roster, making it a virtual certainty that New England will either sign a free agent or promote someone from the practice squad.
